Bengal Home secretary goes on precautionary quarantine as COVID-19 patient’s mother had called on him

West Bengal’s additional chief secretary of the home department, Alapan Bandopadhyay, has gone on precautionary quarantine as the officer whose son has tested positive for Coronavirus had called on him a couple of days ago.

On Tuesday, a teenager – who is the son of a senior bureaucrat – had tested positive for Coronavirus. This is the first reported Coronavirus case in West Bengal. The bureaucrat, special secretary in the state home department, had called on Alapan Bandopadhyay a couple of days back after her son had returned from London on March 15.

The teenager had returned from London but apparently had no symptoms. He was asked to be in home isolation. However, his mother, the special secretary of the home department, did not go on isolation and continued to work. She had a meeting with Bandopadhyay. She had also taken her son to the state administrative headquarters, Nabanna, on Monday, though he was apparently sitting in the car while she went inside and met some officers. It is not clear whether she had met Bandopadhyay during this time, or on some other day.

After the teenager tested positive, the special secretary, her husband and their driver, have all been kept on quarantine in the Beliaghata ID Hospital. They are also being tested and reports will be shortly available.

Following this, the state home secretary, Alapan Bandopadhyay, has not taken any chances, and has gone into precautionary quarantine at home along with his wife. Officials have said that there is no need to panic, and Bandopadhyay has gone into quarantine purely as a precaution. Nabanna authorities are upset about how “irresponsible” the teenager and his parents have been, not been cautious enough and put to risk others.