Don’t use influence to avoid COVID-19 test, says Mamata Banerjee; warns action against media if false news causes panic

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday warned people against flouting the basic health regulations for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Her remarks come after a teenager arrived in Kolkata from London on March 15 and tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. The son of a senior bureaucrat – special secretary in the West Bengal home department – had apparently shown no symptoms but was asked to be on quarantine as there has been a large number of cases in the UK.

But the officer hadn’t reportedly informed her office about it, nor had the teenager remained quarantined throughout.

The officer had in fact, taken her son to the state administrative headquarters Nabanna, where he was reportedly sitting in the vehicle while she met several officers. She had even held a meeting with the state home secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay after her son’s return.

After the teenager tested positive, the bureaucrat, her husband and their driver were taken to isolation at the Beliaghata ID Hospital and their test reports are awaited. Bandopadhyay too has taken a precautionary quarantine at home.

Senior officers are upset at the “irresponsible” behaviour of the teenager and his family members. The chief minister, without naming the officer, said no one should use power and influence to avoid tests. “It is not right to bring a virus from outside and to not remain home. One should not go out to malls, parks because in the process one is likely to spread the disease among many others,” she said.

The teenager had apparently gone to some shopping malls too and had a party at home, though this could not be independently confirmed.

Banerjee said that no one should take undue advantage of their positions and flout precautionary measures. She reminded everyone returning from abroad to stick to the suggested health measures and asked to get themselves tested and quarantined at home for 15 to 27 days following their arrival. She said that a huge number of people had come to the city from abroad in the last few days and all of them must follow the measures with utmost strictness.
Banerjee warned the media to be more responsible in reporting news on COVID-19.

Tuesday’s case was reported by media as the first case of COVID-19 in West Bengal. But Banerjee said that the person had contacted it from abroad and hence it could not be reported as a case of COVID-19 from the state.
She asked the media to not politicise the situation in the state and said that legal steps would be taken against media houses in such cases or if they report wrongly on the situation that leads to panic.

Banerjee announced that the state government offices would give over at 4 pm from Thursday to avoid overcrowding in public transport. Shift timings will also be arranged accordingly for the state employees and they can apply for leaves online from home if they feel unwell.