The scion of a real-estate mogul who tested positive for Covid-19 upon arrival at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) has allegedly escaped from a private hospital where he had been admitted, police say.
Sources in the police, as well as the Department of Health and Family Welfare, said the man flew in from the UK on Jan. 2 and was diagnosed with Covid-19 the same day. He was subsequently admitted to a private hospital near Doddaballapura, Bengaluru Rural district.
However, between 11.55 am and 12 noon on Jan. 3, he “escaped” from the hospital without notifying the medical staff there, according to a complaint filed by the hospital with Doddaballapura police. Police have registered an FIR.
Sources revealed that “the patient wanted some of his personal possessions from his car and subsequently drove off from the hospital. Nobody could stop him physically because he was a Covid-19 case.” The patient turned off his phone, the sources added.
Police said that the hospital was said to have spent the remainder of Jan. 3 trying to contact the patient but to no avail. It lodged the police complaint the next day. In the FIR, a copy of which was reviewed by DH, police invoked IPC sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (negligently spreading infection of any disease dangerous to life) and 270 (malignantly spreading the infection of any disease dangerous to life), plus various provisions of the National Disaster Management Act.
As the police kept looking for him till Friday morning, the person informed the cops that he has told health officials he will remain in home isolation until he is completely cured. "We had been looking for him until Friday morning. Virwani later informed us he told health officials that he will remain at home until he is cured of the Covid-19 infection completely," a Bengaluru Rural police official said.
A senior health official said an international traveller who had either mild or no symptoms should complete 10 days of institutional quarantine at a hospital. “If the person has symptoms, the person can only be discharged if the case has not had symptoms for a period of three days,” the official said.
A new order issued on Jan. 6 said that international passengers from at-risk countries with mild or no symptoms no longer needed to be isolated at hospitals but could quarantine at a government or a private Covid-19 Care Centre.
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