Mumbai, Sisters of Mother Teresa and coronavirus: houses closed and 'trust in God'
by Nirmala Carvalho

The Missionaries of Charity close all houses to visitors and volunteers. "The health of our children comes first." The centers also welcome children with special needs. Superior: "We contemplate the heart of the world that today suffers from coronavirus".

 

 


Mumbai (AsiaNews) - Faced with an emergency as disruptive as that of the Chinese coronavirus that is rapidly spreading also in India, "Mother Teresa would have said: 'Trust in God,'" Sr. Terese Joseph, regional superior of the Missionaries of Charity [congregation founded by Mother Teresa] in Mumbai stated to AsiaNews.

Covid-19 has also arrived in Mumbai and the nuns are deciding on the measures to be taken. The missionary says, “the health of children comes first, especially those with special needs. No visitor is allowed to enter. "

In India in the last hours the confirmed cases of coronavirus have risen to 62. In Mumbai, six people who had had contact with a couple in Pune tested positive for the disease and were hospitalized. International experts criticize Delhi's still too cautious stance with the administration of tampons. For a country of over 1.2 billion people and large pockets of widespread poverty in every corner of the territory, the consequences of the infection could be disastrous.

All the houses of the Sisters of Mother Teresa welcome the sick and frail, with a high risk of infection. Sr. Terese reports that in Vile Parle's "Shishu Bhavan" [children's home, ed.] In Mumbai, "there are 30 children with special disabilities, aged between three and 13 years. We are very careful with our children. Since the infection began, we have decided not to allow entry from the outside anymore, therefore neither visitors nor volunteers. "

The "Asha Daan" house in the Byculla neighborhood (south Mumbai) houses "260 other people, including 45 disabled children. Even here nobody can enter, we are doing everything to protect the people we care for ".

The superior sends a message of encouragement: "We trust in God!". Then she adds: “As Missionaries of Charity, we contemplate the heart of the world that today suffers from coronavirus. We are praying and continue to offer our tireless service for the poorest of the poor. Our Mother said: 'Prayer in action is love in action' ".