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Coronavirus update: US-returned doctor allegedly found treating patients; ignored quarantine rules
Coronavirus in India: Earlier, this week a doctor from Nadia district was trolled by netizens after his son was detected with novel coronavirus (Covid-19).
A nursing home in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district was asked to shut down after the doctor, who runs the facility, was found to have returned from the United States of America (USA) three days ago and was allegedly treating patients, ignoring the mandatory 14-day home quarantine.
“Initially, the doctor lied that he had returned from the US and claimed that he came back from Bengaluru. But when the police wanted to see his passport he admitted that he had returned from US three days ago,” said Dipendu Biswas, Trinamool Congress lawmaker from Basirhat (south) constituency and former captain of the Indian football team.
The nursing home is located opposite to Biswas’s house and office. He informed the district police authorities, including the superintendent and the sub-divisional police officer and senior officers of the North 24 Parganas district administration such as the sub-divisional officer of Basirhat.
“The local residents had become panic-stricken, as the doctor had returned from the US on March 17. He was asked to close down the nursing home when we came to know about it. He has been asked to stay under home quarantine for the next two weeks. We are trying to find out whether he treated any patients,” said a senior police officer from Basirhat.
Earlier, this week a doctor from Nadia district was trolled by netizens after his son was detected with novel coronavirus (Covid-19). It later emerged that the doctor, his wife, who is a senior bureaucrat in the state home department, and their son had not practiced social distancing and home isolation. The youth was advised to stay under home quarantine but he along with his mother went to a shopping mall, the state secretariat and even interacted with their neighbours.
“We have asked the district authorities to shift the patients of the hospital to a district hospital where they would be kept under observation,” said Biswas.
