GUWAHATI: An Assam man, who fled a quarantine centre in Kerala, was traced at an Express train in Assam’s New Bongaigaon railway station on Wednesday night by the personnel of Railway Protection Force of the Northeast Frontier Railway (RPF).
The NFR said it had received information on the man, Sariful Islam (24), from Assam’s Morigaon district police which said he had jumped quarantine in Kerala. He hails from Morigaon.
“During interrogation, he said he had fled the quarantine centre in Kerala and travelled by train from Parak to Chennai and from Chennai to Howrah by Howrah Mail. From Sealdah, the person was travelling by Sealdah-Silchar Kanchanjungha Express and was supposed to get down at Guwahati station,” NFR Chief Public Relations Officer Subhanan Chanda said.
He said the person was immediately detrained and later, shifted to the railway hospital at New Bongaigaon with proper medical protocol.
“The person has been kept at an isolation ward for further medical observation. Guarding by RPF and Government Railway Police has been provided to prevent him from escaping again. All the passengers of the said coach was medically screened by railway doctors before the train left and all of them have been advised to go for home quarantine as per norms,” Chanda said.
In Nagaon district of Central Assam, panic has gripped the people of a village after a local youth, who returned from Rajasthan recently and was suffering from cough and fever, fled his home on seeing a group of health officials.
Suspecting that he was infected with novel coronavirus, some locals had called in health officials. The officials visited the village to take him to a hospital in an ambulance but on seeing them, he fled. The locals are now searching for him.
Meanwhile, the NFR has cancelled a number of trains as a precautionary measure.
The state government has ordered the closure of beauty parlours, barber shops, libraries, bars, museums, coaching centres with immediate effect. Earlier, it shut down all educational institutes, swimming pools, gymnasiums, children’s parks and all national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.
There is some sort of panic buying, especially of essential items, as people fear markets could be shut down. The state government advised people to remain indoors as far as possible. So far, Assam has not recorded any COVID-19 positive case.