13 COVID positive passengers of chartered flight from Italy to Punjab escape from hospital

As many as 13 passengers who tested positive for COVID-19 after landing in Amritsar recently have escaped from the hospital, NDTV said, quoting hospital authorities. They allegedly tricked the health officials and fled, they said this evening.

NDTV reported that the patients were admitted to Amritsar’s Guru Nanak Dev Hospital.

Also read: ‘Star Trek: Picard’ production suspended after 50 crew members test COVID positive

“We will initiate proceedings to cancel their passport,” Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar Gurpreet Singh Khehra told NDTV.

“If they don’t return by morning, we will publish their photos in the newspaper,” he warned, adding, FIRs under the Epidemic Act and the Disaster Management Act will be registered against them.

“We are trying our best to keep our district away from the disease and negligence of patients will not be tolerated at any cost,” Khera said.

Also read: Alaska Air trims January flights to cope with COVID outbreak

179 passengers, including 19 children, landed in Amritsar from Milan around 1:30 pm on Thursday on a chartered flight. Of them, as many as 125 passengers tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival. All Covid positive passengers were sent to institutional quarantine.

According to the health ministry, all adult passengers were tested on arrival since Italy is one of the high-risk countries for omicron.

Also read: Space X launches dozens Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket

Officials reported that the chartered flight – reportedly operated by EuroAtlantic Airways, a Portuguese company – had made a technical halt at Tbilisi.

Chaotic visuals emerged from the Amritsar airport as the police tried to control the crowd waiting to leave the airport. Many questioned why they tested positive after COVID negative results in Italy.