Two arrested in Kerala for jumping home quarantine, later released

The Kerala government has warned of action, including a 6-month jail term, and asked district officials to deal with those skipping home quarantine sternly.

Two people who returned from the Gulf and flouted home quarantine instructions have been arrested in north Kerala’s Wayanad on Friday even as the state government is planning strict provisions to deal with those who skip the mandatory social-distancing period.

Worried, the government has warned of action, including a 6-month jail term, and asked district officials to deal with them sternly. “We will not tolerate such irresponsible behaviour. They are infecting their kin and others and the government will deal with them,” said state health minister K K Shailaja. Besides Kerala, there are reports neighbouring Karnataka also contemplating strict action against quarantine defaulters.

Wayanad district officials said both, belonging to Kalpetta, were spotted at a function and local residents alerted the police immediately. Back from the UAE last week, both were advised to remain for two weeks in their homes and not interact with others. Arrested, both were later released on bail under strict provisions.

“We are going through a difficult situation and masking travel history is a crime. They are doing a big injustice. We will deal with them sternly,” said the minister. Two weeks back in Pathanamhitta, three Italy-returnees had hidden their travel history and transmitted the virus to six others, including their aged grandparents.

Meanwhile, two legislators in north Kerala, both belonging to the Muslim League, are on self-quarantine after they came in contact with a person affected with COVID-19 virus in Kasaragod. Kasaragod MLA N A Nellikunnu and Mancheswaram legislator M A Kamaruddin said they came in contact with the affected person briefly and asked all foreign-returnees not to make the mistake of infecting others.

“The affected person is a social worker of the area and he frequents the Gulf regularly. He invited me to the wedding of one of his relatives on Saturday. There was not a big crowd. I spent about 20 minutes there. I wasn’t aware he had returned from Dubai only recently. It was a big mistake on his part,” said Nellikunnu adding law-makers like him should set an example. “We want to send out a message to returnees to be responsible and not to infect others,” said Kamaruddin urging them not to consider their stay in the country as holidays.

The affected person, who returned from Dubai on March 11, tested positive on Thursday. District officials said he had a thermal screening at Kozhikkode international airport and later reported himself at a hospital in Kasargod. After taking his swab samples hospital authorities advised him to go on home quarantine for two weeks. But he attended many functions including a football match.

“We want people who have some travel history to heed the advice of health officials and behave responsibly. We have information that he came in contact with many people and attended functions also. This is a difficult situation. People will have to realise the gravity of the situation,” said Kasaragod collector Sajith Babu. He said district administration has identified at least 60 of his contacts and quarantined them and their numbers will go up.