It was on September 30 that Gurmeet Choudhary and Debina Bonnerjee tested positive for Coronavirus. The couple, along with Bonnerjee’s parents, who also tested positive, has recovered after a span of two weeks. “The last 14 days felt like it was 14 years of vanvas. Debina and I had a lot of symptoms and we had thought since we are so much into fitness and follow a strict diet, we would probably have no symptoms. Initial three-four days were difficult,” Gurmeet tells us.

Debina, who is “extremely happy” to have tested negative now, is thankful that though her parents tested positive at the same time, they were both asymptomatic. “As Gurmeet and I were extremely unwell initially, we decided to get my parents tested as well. They tested positive, but were asymptomatic. Hence, they looked much fitter than Gurmeet and I, and that feeling helped us mentally,” she says.

Gurmeet, 36, admits it is important to be mentally stable during this period. “There were quite a few medicines given, and we used to sleep for about 17 to 18 hours a day. Besides, mentally, you feel a lot of pressure. You get to see a lot of negative news about the pandemic everywhere. But, we kept ourselves motivated,” he asserts.

On experiencing a strange sense of confusion while recovering, Debina says, “They say there is a certain kind of brain fog that happens during Covid-19, and I showed all of those symptoms (laughs). I was talking, and the next day, I would forget I said it. When you are in the moment, you don’t understand it, but when the confusion goes away in your brain, you realise the action wasn’t normal.”

The couple is, however, thankful that they were “all together” in this difficult phase. “Family thi saath me toh survive kar liya,” Gurmeet adds.

Ask what they have to say to people not following SOPs and Debina, 37, says, “In India, people don’t see and learn, they face it and then learn. Jab tak saare population ko nahi ho jata and 20% population nahi rahega, tab tak log nahi seekhenge. It is extremely serious, I don’t understand why people cannot get it.”