Faridkot woman flies abroad using old Covid-19 test report

FARIDKOT: Despite testing positive for Covid-19, a 30-year-old woman from Laleana village in Kotkapura sub division of Faridkot district managed to fly abroad showing an old Covid-19 report, health officials said here on Wednesday.

Police registered a case against two missing Covid-19 patients for negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life on the complaint of the district health department after they went untraced.

Civil surgeon Dr Rajinder Kumar said that two persons who tested positive on August 1 were not found at their addresses when health teams visited to quarantine them.

“One of the patients has boarded an international flight using an old Covid-19 test report. We have lodged a formal complaint with the police against them. We fear many people could have been exposed to the virus,” he said.

District epidemiologist Dr Vikramjeet Singh said in the first information report that Charanjit Kaur of Laleana village in Faridkot was not found at her residence when health officials visited to quarantine her on August 1. “Her family members told the team that she has gone to Mansa for Rakhi celebrations, but she was not traced over there as well. According to our information, she had booked a ticket to travel outside India and she has left the village. She tested negative on July 24, but her latest sample tested positive on August 1. Despite testing positive, the patient cleverly used the old Covid-19 report to get clearance for her travel and boarded the flight,” he said.

The police are yet to find out the country she has gone, however, sources claim she went to Hong Kong.

In another FIR, the health officials claimed that Bimlesh Kumar, 22, of Kotkapura town is missing from his residence since he tested positive.

Both have been booked under Sections 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life); 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life); 271(disobedience to quarantine rule); and 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 51 of the Disaster Management Act at Kotkapura.