By A Special Correspondent
First publised on 2020-04-10 21:13:53
It is very disturbing that an ex-politician in Delhi, having links with the Congress, had visited the Nizamuddin Markaz and hid the fact from the authorities. Now he, his wife (who is the area councilor) and their daughter have all tested positive for COVID-19. All three of them have been admitted to Ambedkar Hospital and their village, Deenpur, in south-west Delhi has been sealed. But will that be enough as the man was found to have roamed around the city despite having been advised home quarantine? It is a herculean task to trace all his contacts and mitigate the risk.
First, the man committed a folly by visiting a large gathering which had a number of foreigners. Then, he hid the fact from the police when they were making inquiries in the area about anyone having visited the Markaz. But the police are saying that they established his link with the Markaz by making technical investigations including examining his call records.
Even if the man was not concerned for his own self, he should have thought of his family and the community. Now, because of his negligence, his family and the entire village will suffer. He had also flouted the norms of home quarantine (which was suggested to him the first time) and was found missing from his home during a visit by the investigators. It is regrettable and dangerous that even socially aware people in the society can so irresponsible.
The danger gets multiplied when one considers the fact that there will be thousands like him in Delhi(or elsewhere) who had attended the Markaz and returned home and have then hidden the fact. They might be asymptomatic carriers of the virus (like this man was initially) and might infect a large number of others in the community. It is an impossible task to trace all their contacts if too many days pass by. The authorities can only do their best but if such persons continue to hide facts, they will do a great disservice to humanity.