An Irish national suspected of having the coronavirus has fled hospital isolation in India.
The man, who is suspected to have contracted the disease, was sent to the isolation ward of a government hospital in Odisha’s Cuttack city on Thursday.
He had been screened at the Biju Patnaik International airport in Bhubaneswar on Thursday and taken straight to hospital for testing.
The man was then put into the isolation ward of SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack along with another person who was travelling with him.
However, late on Thursday night the Irish man and the person he was with escaped isolation.
A department of Health official told the Hindustantimes: "It’s not yet clear how both of them escaped. Once someone is suspected to be infected with coronavirus, he/she has to be kept in isolation. It’s compulsory.
"We are trying to find out the exact timeline of how it happened. We have lodged a case with Mangalabag police station."
The number of coronavirus cases in India has increased from six to 31 this week, as the epidemic that originated in China has infected nearly 95,000 people worldwide.
