The final hurdles for her before home...

While boarding the flight from Dubai, Arpita had to face yet another unexpected challenge. Until then, showing soft copies of documents had worked smoothly at all the places. But at the boarding gate, she was asked to present the hard copy of the negative COVID test report - and without it, she was not allowed to board.

She didn't have the printed copy. She hadn't found the time to get it printed, and honestly, we didn't think it would be necessary. Panic set in. With boarding time slipping away, she ran through the terminal in heels, searching for a place to get it printed. Every passing minute made it feel certain that she would miss the flight. She had to rush from one terminal to another, and finally found a printing corner. After waiting through a small queue - though it felt like forever - she managed to get the document printed - though at a rather high cost. With no time to spare, she sprinted back and boarded the flight just in time.

The flight departed and landed in Kolkata as scheduled. But one final hurdle remained - the Rapid PCR test at the Kolkata airport for the arriving passengers.

I was like almost convinced she might test positive and be sent to a quarantine center at Kolkata. Even that felt more acceptable than her being stuck at abroad. As she waited at the airport for her result, I waited back at Mauritius holding a faint hope.

Then she called. From the sound of her voice, I could tell something good has happened. She was happy as she had tested negative and was allowed to go home. It felt unbelievable, but also like a huge relief. No matter how much uncertain everything had been, at least she was finally getting safe and getting back home.

And with that my own journey was yet to conclude - leading into the ten days of isolation.

💵 COVID Test Report Print-out - 15.00 AED
💵 Rapid PCR Tests - 2,900.00 INRRead more