The Erode South Police have registered a case against six Thailand nationals for violating visa norms and being involved in religious preaching that eventually led to the spread of COVID-19 in the city. The accused foreigners are now in the isolation ward of the Government Erode Medical College and Hospital at Perundurai.
Seven persons from Thailand had arrived in the city in the second week of March and were involved in preaching and had also visited two dargahs and a few houses in the city. Later, one of them developed fever and was admitted to Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital but tested negative for COVID-19. However, he died later due to complications of diabetic nephropathy and septicaemia.
The other six were admitted to the ward and three of them tested COVID-19 positive while the other three tested negative.
Some of those, who had direct contact with them, also tested positive leading to home quarantining of over 30,000 persons in the city. So far 32 persons have tested positive in the district.
Erode Tahsildar Parimaladevi in her complaint said that the six had arrived in the city on a tourist visa, but violated the visa norms and were involved in preaching. Despite knowing that they were infected by the virus, they knowingly spread the virus to the people, she added.
The police registered a case under Sections 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 278 (making atmosphere noxious to health) of the Indian Penal Code and Para 1-25 and 19.8 of The Visa Manual 2019 r/w Section 13 (1), (2) and 14 of The Foreigner’s Act 1946 and 134, 135 of Tamil Nadu Public Health Act, 1939.
