9 UK-returnees escape from quarantine in Sylhet, return after 12hrs

This is an aerial view of the Sylhet city. Nine UK-returnees of the same family disappeared from a Sylhet hotel that has been converted to an institutional quarantine centre on Sunday, before returning around 12 hours laterUNB

Nine UK-returnees of the same family disappeared from a Sylhet hotel that has been converted to an institutional quarantine centre, before returning around 12 hours later on Sunday, reports UNB.

Authorities at the Britannia Hotel, where they were staying, confirmed to UNB that they came back to the hotel around 9:00pm. Five adults in the group were fined by a magistrate present at the scene.

The nine individuals were Abdul Malik, 46, Runa Akter, 44; Tamima Akter, 9; Taiyeba Akter, 11; Rubaba Akter, 43, Rahima Begum, 43; Radia Akter, 11; Sayema Begum, 18 and Tahmid Chowdhury, 4.

The hotel authorities informed that around 2:00pm on Sunday, it was discovered that the 9:00individuals had ‘disappeared’ from the hotel’s two rooms where they were staying.

When contacted over the phone, they said they had gone home to visit their dying family member, according to hotel authorities.

They told the hotel they would return.

Additional deputy commissioner (Media) of Sylhet Metropolitan Police BM Ashrafullah Taher said they were investigating how such a large group could have fled when 3 police members were on duty at the hotel.

Action will be taken if any negligence is found on the part of police or the hotel authority, the ADC said.

Britannia Hotel manager Kawsar Khan said the 9 immigrants started their quarantine at the hotel on 18 March, and it was supposed to end on 26 March after completion of necessary tests.

On 18 March, 152 UK returnees landed at the Sylhet Osmani International Airport by BG-202 flight of Biman. Of them, 147 were sent to 10 residential hotels in Sylhet following the government’s directive and under the supervision of army officers and police. Thirty-five were sent to the Britannia Hotel in the city’s Ambarkhan area.

As it has emerged that the highly contagious UK variant of Coronavirus is already found in Bangladesh, the government made institutional quarantine mandatory for all UK returnees from 1 January 2020.