By Devram Prasad Yadav, Saptari, April 3: When the company he was employed as a labourer got closed after the Indian government announced 21-day nationwide lockdown, Ram Bilash Sah of Pharseth, Rajbiraj Municipality-11 in Saptari district, Nepal, was rendered jobless.

Along with the loss of job and no possibility to find one in the near future, financial crisis or shortage of money to buy daily food stuff was imminent. Moreover, the novel coronavirus was ringing a deadly alarm. Sah and many other Nepali migrant workers in the company and its surrounding area had no choice but to head for home.

Sah along with about a hundred others bought a bicycle and started a journey of over 1,438 Km on it, all the way from Yamuna Nagar of Haryana, India, where he was working, to his home in Rajbiraj, Nepal.

It took him 15 days to arrive at his home, and he was not alone on the way because there were many cycling along with him from Bihar. As the Indian government had set up lunch station for workers, they had their lunch and dinner at such stations along the way.

Sah encountered an unforeseen trouble as he stood at the Nepal-India border point. The border was closed and his longing to reach home would not force it open!

He took advantage of the open border - cross the border secretively through a wheat field across the border on Thursday despite strict police surveillance.

Exhausted after days of cycling, Sah reached his home, but to his utter surprise his wife, Koshila, would not allow him step in the house. She said, "Don't come over the courtyard. Don't touch anyone. First, let's go for health checkup."

Koshila took her husband to quarantine spot located at Saikrishna Hospital in Rajbira Municipality on Thursday itself and had his fever and other health condition checked.

Now in quarantine, Sah has a great relief. "On the way home from India, I had my fever checked at many places along the way because such facility was operated free of cost by the government in India. And I am pretty sure I am well, have no infection of virus".

It is always good to stay in quarantine after such a long journey at this time of corona virus infection threat. Who knows you may be carrying the virus with you! Therefore, it is wise and also good for your family and neighbourhood, to make them feel safe, Sah said.