The father of a woman whose husband working in Google tested positive for coronavirus in Bengaluru has been booked by Agra Police for misleading authorities about the whereabouts of his daughter, a suspected COVID-19 patient, officials said on Sunday, 15 March, PTI reported.
An FIR was registered at the Sadar police station on a complaint by the health department under Sections 269 (unlawfully or negligently doing any act which is, and which he knows is likely to spread the infection of any disease dangerous to life) and 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), district administration officials said.
Following media reports claiming that the spouse of the 5th COVID-19 patient in Karnataka had ‘escaped’ from quarantine in Bengaluru and travelled to Agra earlier in March, the Karnataka health department on Saturday clarified that the 25-year-old woman had indeed flown to Bengaluru, but had never left the airport.
“The couple reached Bengaluru on 8 March at 9:45 pm on Indigo flight 6E5332 from Mumbai which was booked through Yatra.com. The lady doesn’t leave the airport, and takes an early morning flight at 1:40 am in the wee hours of 9 March to New Delhi,” medical education minister Dr Sudhakar told media persons.
According to some reports, the woman had tested positive for novel coronavirus on Friday in Agra, but the Karnataka health department said that they had no information on the health condition of the woman.
Dr Sudhakar added that the woman then boarded a morning train to Agra Cantt from the Nizamuddin station in New Delhi at 8:10 am the same day.
The couple had recently returned to Mumbai on 6 March following their honeymoon where they reportedly travelled in Europe, before finally departing from Munich on a Lufthanza flight to reach Mumbai. The couple were newly-weds and had gone to Europe for their honeymoon.
“We cannot say that she has fled from Bengaluru. She was never screened as she never left the airport and had flown in on a domestic flight. We request people to be more responsible while reporting their whereabouts and their condition.”Dr Sudhakar, medical education minister
Confusion had prevailed about the exact travel history of the newly-wed woman after media reports early on Saturday, claimed that she had escaped quarantine in Bengaluru and travelled to Agra to be with her family via Delhi.
Health department officials in Karnataka said that their officers were on the job surveilling footage and trying to determine the exact number of people the woman could have come in contact with.
Dr BG Prakash from the department of health and family welfare told The Quint that when its officials visited the residence of the couple in Bengaluru, they only found the husband and his brother, who is currently under quarantine at home.
“We are in regular touch with those who are quarantined at home, via phone and home visits. We are tracking their health,” he said.
Dr K Sudhakar had earlier told mediapersons that the husband had returned to Bengaluru on 8 March, felt sick in office the following day and got himself admitted to the Jayanagar Government Hospital isolation ward on 10 March."
Dept Appeals to Citizens to be More Responsible
Dr Sudhakar said that the department had gathered the information after thorough investigation and requested all citizens to report their conditions and travel history correctly.
“We appeal to every responsible citizen and request them to be more responsible and to care for each other’s health. Being in quarantine for 14 days won’t take anything away from you. What the couple has done is not morally correct or legally. Let them come out of isolation, before we consider any action,” he said.
According to the TOI report, health officials ‘faced resistance’ when they visited her at home in Agra, where she was living with 8 other relatives. She was reportedly only shifted to the isolation ward after the intervention of the district magistrate.
(With inputs from The Times of India, PTI)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)