Skip to main content

"Can't Claim VIP Status, Avoid COVID-19 Test": Mamata Banerjee Slams Teen

The student, studying at a prominent university in England, flew back to Kolkata two days ago but did not self-quarantine, as required by the government.

Mamata Banerjee said one can't just come from abroad and go to shopping malls without testing (File)
Kolkata: 
The teen son of an IAS officer in Kolkata, who returned from the UK on Sunday, possibly came into contact with many before testing positive for coronavirus, becoming Bengal's first case. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday lashed out at what she called "irresponsible behaviour" by those who "claim VIP status".
The student's mother, a senior bureaucrat in the state government, went to the secretariat - the same building where the Chief Minister also has her office -- and attended several meetings a day before the 18-year-old reported to hospital and tested positive. The delay is even more inexplicable given his father is a doctor. Results released late in the night found the family and their drivers to be negative.
The Bengal Home Secretary, with whom the teen's mother had an extended meeting on Monday, stayed at home on Wednesday as reports emerged of the whole family being quarantined and tested.
"You can't claim VIP status and avoid COVID 19 tests," a furious Mamata Banerjee said at an event.
"I welcome whoever is coming. But I am not welcoming the disease, sorry. You can't suddenly come from abroad and go off to shopping malls without getting tested and then 500 people get affected...Just because someone from my family is influential so I don't test... I don't support this," she raged.
The student, studying at a prominent university in England, had no symptoms when he landed at the Kolkata airport early on Sunday and was not detected during screening. He drove back home with his driver. The household includes, besides his parents, two helps.
The same evening, the young man received a call from friends in the UK who told him that three persons with whom he had attended a party in London had tested positive for the virus.
The next morning, the student went to the government-run MR Bangur hospital, where a doctor referred him to the Infectious Diseases Hospital, the nodal centre for COVID 19 in the city.
The ID hospital was informed that the teen was on his way but he did not go that day.
His mother, who accompanied him to the hospital, went to her office on the fifth floor of the state secretariat building - Mamata Banerjee sits on the 14th floor -- and attended many meetings including one on coronavirus.
It was only on Tuesday that the teen went to the Infectious Diseases Hospital, where one of his four swab samples was found positive.
He has been kept in an isolation cabin and is reported by doctors to be in in a stable condition.
The teen is one of 18 people admitted to the ID Hospital currently.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

European Union will close its borders to all non-essential travel to fight coronavirus

Madrid (ITNTV) The European Union will close its borders to all non-essential travel as it attempts to contain the  ongoing spread of the coronavirus  on the continent. "The less travel, the more we can contain the virus," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Monday following a video conference between G7 leaders. She appeared confident that the European Council would sign off on the restriction in a Tuesday vote. The bloc's member states imposed aggressive measures on Monday,  days after the  World Health Organization (WHO) said Europe was at the epicenter of the pandemic. French President Emmanuel Macron declared "war" on the virus during a national address on Monday, banning all social events across the country -- including family gatherings. Macron said those who have gathered in public places in recent days have not been respecting previous measures to limit the outbreak's spread in France, which as of Monday had 5,380 con...
Post a Comment
Read more

PhD positions: In Institute of Biochemistry, Jena University Hospital - Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany

PhD positions: In Institute of Biochemistry, Jena University Hospital - Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany   🇩🇪 . Subjects: Neurobiology / Imaging Description: 1 PhD position in Neurobiology / Imaging Prof. Britta Qualmann, Inst. of Biochem. I, UKJ - Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany Prof. Christian Geis, Section of Translat. Neuroimmunol., Dept. Neurol., UKJ We seek for a productive addition to our research team in a collaborative project. We plan to study pathomechanisms of synaptic changes underlying autoimmune disorders of the central nervous system applying super-resolution microscopy. The Geis lab examines immune-mediated changes of synapses by interactions with pathogenic human antibodies against neuronal proteins. Short- and long-term effects on neuronal networks are analyzed using electrophysiological and various microscopy methods. The Qualmann lab is an internationally well-known lab that focusses on proteins with the power to s...
Post a Comment
Read more

80 pct of life stopped in Turkey due to outbreak, says interior minister

Turkish citizens, especially those living in metropolises, have been abiding by the “social isolation” principles laid out by the government, Interior Minister  Süleyman Soylu  has said, adding that almost 80 percent of life “stopped” in  Turkey . “Up until now, just our ministry issued 38 circulars, 17 of which concern the borders. Many high-level precautions have been taken. Right now, 80 percent of life stopped in Turkey,” Soylu said on March 26 in an interview with a private broadcaster. Soylu also provided updated figures for passenger traffic. He said that there is a 73 percent decline in inter-city bus services, adding that these services can also be suspended if needed. On intra-city traffic, Soylu said that there has been an 80 percent decline. This figure was 65 percent according to another interview the minister held on March 25. The government has four cruxes it predicates on when taking measures against the spread of the novel  coronaviru...
Post a Comment
Read more