Odisha: 19 Truck Drivers, Who Were Kept at COVID-19 Quarantine Facility in Rayagada District, Flee From the Isolation Centre Through a Window
According to a report by Hindustan Times, the drivers belong to Uttar Pradesh and Punjab and were kept in a quarantine centre at a school in Kereda gram panchayat which is on the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha border since March 30.
Bhubaneswar, April 24: At least 19 truck drivers, who were in COVID-19 quarantine centre in Odisha, escaped through one of the windows of the facility, the Odisha government said on Friday. Reports inform that the truck drivers were kept at the isolation centre in Rayagada district. They managed to flee from there on April 22. According to a report by Hindustan Times, the drivers belong to Uttar Pradesh and Punjab and were kept in a quarantine centre at a school in Kereda gram panchayat which is on the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha border since March 30. Catch Live Updates Related to Coronavirus in India and Other Parts of the World
The report further adds that the men were staying at the quarantine centre after the ongoing nationwide lockdown restrictions were initially enforced for 21 days first till April 14 and were further extended till May 3 to prevent the spread of Covid-19 outbreak. The report adds that though the drivers’ quarantine period got over on April 14, they were asked to stay there, as there was no transport available due to lockdown. India’s COVID-19 Tally Rises to 23,077, Death Toll Mounts to 718.
Vivek Saravana, superintendent of police (SP), Rayagada district was quoted in the HT report saying that all the drivers were given food and accommodation but they escaped late on April 22 night through one of the windows. A case has been filed against the absconding drivers at the district’s Sheskhal police station. According to Police, the drivers may have escaped along the railway track as the quarantine centre is located close to the railway track on the east coast that goes up to Visakhapatnam.
In India, the total cases of COVID-19 crossed 23,000-mark on Friday and stood at 23,077. The country has reported 1684 new cases and 37 deaths in the past 24 hours,while the total death toll has jumped to 718 on Friday.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 24, 2020 04:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).