That’s not really a fever, he thought to himself, trying to ignore the irritation in his throat that had been bothering him for the last couple of days.

Rizwan had arrived in his hometown of Bantwal, in Karnataka, a week ago on a special Vande Mataram flight from Doha. With the COVID-19 pandemic raging the world over, it was with a deep sense of relief that he had boarded the special flight to Mangaluru, the airport closest to his hometown. Now he was a worried man. Should he get tested? If yes, where? And if he tested positive, where could be quarantine without exposing his aging mother, in his home, at risk?