Arrest warrants for 10 Covid patients who fled Jashore hospital

Arrest warrants were issued for 10 Covid-19 patents, including the seven who returned from India and earlier fled from the 250-bed district general hospital in Jashore on Sunday.
 
Police have already arrested seven people from the hospital and sent them to court, with their test reports Covid-19 positive for a second time.

The arrested were MoniMala Datta, 49, wife of Biswanath Datta, Milon Hossain, 32, of Satkhira, Nasima Aktar, 50, of Rajbari Sadar upazila, Bibekananda, 52, of Khulna Sadar upazila, Amirul Sana, 52, of Paikgasa upazila in Khulna, Sohel Sardar, 17, of Rupsha upazila in Khulna, and Fatema, 19, wife of Rabiul Islam of Jashore Sadar upazila.
 
There were also another three patients undergoing treatment at the hospital, said Towhidul Islam, Additional Police Superintendent of Jashore circle.
 
On April 23 and April 24, ten people were admitted to the 250-bed district general hospital as all of them were found Coronavirus positive.
 
They ran away from the hospital which triggered concern due to the recent emergence of the new and highly transmissible Coronavirus variant in India, which has now also been found in Bangladesh.
 
"Six people have been diagnosed with the deadly Indian variant of Covid-19 in Jashore. They all returned home from the neighbouring country recently," said Professor Nasima Sultana, additional director general of the Directorate General of Health Services, in a press briefing on May 8.
 
Against this backdrop, health authorities have urged all to exercise the utmost caution and prudence to stop the deadly coronavirus variant from spreading inside the country.
 
According to health authorities, the Indian Covid variant is highly contagious. Infected persons may already have infected those who came in contact with them. If the pandemic guidelines are not followed, the variant can spread among the masses.
 
Though the Bangladesh government closed the border with India for 14 days, starting 26 April amid the virus surge, many Bangladeshis were allowed to enter the country, subject to having a Covid-19 negative certificate. They were put in mandatory quarantine.
 
Coronavirus infections soared in India in a "tsunami" of disease, setting a new world record for cases over the past few weeks.
 
The Indian variant is beginning to spread beyond the country's borders.