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DPA
New Delhi
A couple in India's central state of Chhattisgarh has named their newborn twins Corona and Covid amid the country's nationwide lockdown brought on by the pandemic.
The twins, a boy and a girl, were born at a government hospital in the state capital Raipur on March 27, two days after the lockdown came into force disrupting daily lives.
The couple, in a telephone interview with dpa on Saturday, said the names would remind them of the hardships they encountered before the successful delivery of the babies at the hospital.
Preeti Verma, the 27-year-old mother of the twins, said they had no help as their family members could not reach Raipur due to the lockdown.
"With vehicular movement stopped, we both made it to the hospital somehow late at night after a lot of suffering. Since the deliveries happened after such difficulties, we wanted the names to be memorable and unique," she said, hinting that the hospital staff had suggested the names.
"Besides these names are beautiful in their own, with Corona being Latin for crown," added Vinay Verma, the father. "Also, we want the fear associated with these names to end and the public to focus on sanitation and hygiene." The couple said there was pressure, however, from family elders and they could change their decision later and rename their children.
India is in a three-week lockdown until April 14 that has seen suspension of transport services with strict stay-at-home orders for the country's 1.3 billion inhabitants. There has been a spike in Covid-19 cases in the country with infections nearing 3,000 and 68 deaths.
New Delhi
A couple in India's central state of Chhattisgarh has named their newborn twins Corona and Covid amid the country's nationwide lockdown brought on by the pandemic.
The twins, a boy and a girl, were born at a government hospital in the state capital Raipur on March 27, two days after the lockdown came into force disrupting daily lives.
The couple, in a telephone interview with dpa on Saturday, said the names would remind them of the hardships they encountered before the successful delivery of the babies at the hospital.
Preeti Verma, the 27-year-old mother of the twins, said they had no help as their family members could not reach Raipur due to the lockdown.
"With vehicular movement stopped, we both made it to the hospital somehow late at night after a lot of suffering. Since the deliveries happened after such difficulties, we wanted the names to be memorable and unique," she said, hinting that the hospital staff had suggested the names.
"Besides these names are beautiful in their own, with Corona being Latin for crown," added Vinay Verma, the father. "Also, we want the fear associated with these names to end and the public to focus on sanitation and hygiene." The couple said there was pressure, however, from family elders and they could change their decision later and rename their children.
India is in a three-week lockdown until April 14 that has seen suspension of transport services with strict stay-at-home orders for the country's 1.3 billion inhabitants. There has been a spike in Covid-19 cases in the country with infections nearing 3,000 and 68 deaths.
