9 UK-returnees escape from quarantine in Sylhet, return after 12 hours
Skip to main content
  • Home
  • Economy
    • Aviation
    • Bazaar
    • Budget
    • Industry
    • NBR
    • RMG
    • Corporates
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Features
    • Book Review
    • Brands
    • Earth
    • Explorer
    • Fact Check
    • Family
    • Food
    • Game Reviews
    • Good Practices
    • Habitat
    • Humour
    • In Focus
    • Luxury
    • Mode
    • Panorama
    • Pursuit
    • Wealth
    • Wellbeing
    • Wheels
  • Epaper
  • More
    • Subscribe
    • Videos
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • COVID-19
    • Games
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard

Sunday
February 05, 2023

Sign In
Subscribe
  • Home
  • Economy
    • Aviation
    • Bazaar
    • Budget
    • Industry
    • NBR
    • RMG
    • Corporates
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Features
    • Book Review
    • Brands
    • Earth
    • Explorer
    • Fact Check
    • Family
    • Food
    • Game Reviews
    • Good Practices
    • Habitat
    • Humour
    • In Focus
    • Luxury
    • Mode
    • Panorama
    • Pursuit
    • Wealth
    • Wellbeing
    • Wheels
  • Epaper
  • More
    • Subscribe
    • Videos
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • COVID-19
    • Games
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
  • বাংলা
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 05, 2023
9 UK-returnees escape from quarantine in Sylhet, return after 12 hours

Covid-19 in Bangladesh

UNB
22 March, 2021, 09:35 am
Last modified: 22 March, 2021, 09:35 am

Related News

  • AL, BNP to hold programmes in Sylhet on same day
  • Giving Ukraine jets would need 'months if not years' of training: UK PM
  • 'No magic wand' in Ukraine war, says UK's Wallace on question of supplying jets
  • UK economy fares worst among G7 countries in 2023
  • UK's teachers and civil servants join mass strike on 'Walkout Wednesday'

9 UK-returnees escape from quarantine in Sylhet, return after 12 hours

When contacted over the phone, they said they had gone home to visit their dying family member

UNB
22 March, 2021, 09:35 am
Last modified: 22 March, 2021, 09:35 am
This is an aerial view of the Sylhet city. Photo: UNB
This is an aerial view of the Sylhet city. Photo: UNB

Nine UK-returnees of the same family disappeared from a Sylhet hotel that has been converted to an institutional quarantine centre on Sunday, before returning around 12 hours later.

Authorities at the Britannia Hotel, where they were staying, confimed to UNB that they came back to the hotel around 9pm. Five adults in the group were fined by a magistrate who was present on their return. 

The nine individuals were identified as Abdul Malik, 46, Runa Akter, 44; Tamima Akter, 9; Taiyeba Akter, 11; Rubaba Akter, 43, Rahima Begum, 43; Radia Akter, 11; Sayema Begum, 18 and Tahmid Chowdhury, 4.

The hotel authorities informed that around 2pm on Sunday, it was discovered that the 9 individuals had 'disappeared' from the hotel's two rooms that they were occupying (nos. 203 and 603).

When contacted over the phone, they said they had gone home to visit their dying family member, according to hotel authorities.

They told the hotel they would return, but officials were growing anxious as they had not done so till evening.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) of Sylhet Metropolitan Police BM Ashrafullah Taher said they were investigating how such a large group could have fled when 3 police members were on duty at the hotel.

Action will be taken if any negligence is found on the part of police or the hotel authority, the ADC said.

Britannia Hotel manager Kawsar Khan said the 9 immigrants started their quarantine at the hotel on March 18, and it was supposed to end on March 26 after completion of necessary tests.

On March 18, 152 UK returnees landed at the Sylhet Osmani International Airport by BG-202 flight of Biman. Of them, 147 were sent to 10 residential hotels in Sylhet following the government's directive and under the supervision of army officers and police. Thirty-five were sent to the Britannia Hotel in the city's Ambarkhan area.

As it has emerged that the highly contagious UK variant of Coronavirus is already here, the government made institutional quarantine mandatory for all UK returnees from January1, 2020. But the incident shows the trouble they have been facing in ensuring this.

The January episode

It harks back to the strange episode in late January, when it was reported that 28 UK returnees had tested positive for Covid-19 upon completing institutional quarantine, and were taken into institutional isolation at a hospital in Sylhet.

A flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying 157 passengers from London landed in Sylhet's Osmani International Airport on January 21.

As per the instruction of the Health Ministry, they were put under institutional quarantine at different hotels for four days. Upon completion of their quarantine, their samples were sent for Covid-19 PCR tests and 28 of them tested positive.

Among the 28 infected persons, 15 had stayed at Hotel Noorjahan while five at Hotel Britannia, four at Hotel Holy Gate, three at Hotel La Rose and one at Hotel Holy Side. After their test reports came out positive, they were isolated and taken to the 31-bed Khadimpara Hospital, a dedicated isolation centre for Covid-19 patients in Sylhet.

Just a day later though, their samples were sent to the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology lab, and there 25 of the 28 samples that originally tested positive for COVID-19 came out negative. Meanwhile a specialist team of the IEDCR arrived in Sylhet to carry out further tests on these individuals. But the results of these further tests were not revealed at the time.

It was only in March, after the number of cases started increasing, that officials revealed the UK variant had been present in the country since January.

Bangladesh / Top News

UK / returnee / escape / Quarantine / Sylhet / returns

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • Oil’s New Map: How India turns Russia crude into the west's fuel
    Oil’s New Map: How India turns Russia crude into the west's fuel
  • Photo: Collected
    Adani’s power to come to Bangladesh in first week of March: Nasrul Hamid
  • NBR must increase revenue by working digitally: Tipu Munshi
    NBR must increase revenue by working digitally: Tipu Munshi

MOST VIEWED

  • Incepta Pharma abandons Covid vaccine plan
    Incepta Pharma abandons Covid vaccine plan
  • Test tube labelled "Covid-19 Omicron variant test positive" is seen in this illustration picture taken 15 January, 2022. PHOTO: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
    Tighter screening at ports urged as new Covid sub-variant BF.7 detected
  • Test tube labelled "Covid-19 Omicron variant test positive" is seen in this illustration picture taken 15 January, 2022. PHOTO: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
    First case of new Covid sub-variant Omicron BF.7 detected in Bangladesh: IEDCR
  • Illustration: Collected
    Genome sequencing reports of Chinese nationals infected with Covid by Sunday: IEDCR
  • Computer image of a betacoronavirus which is the type of virus linked to Covid-19
    4 Chinese nationals detected with Covid at Dhaka airport
  • Omicron BF7: Land ports still left unguarded
    Omicron BF7: Land ports still left unguarded

Related News

  • AL, BNP to hold programmes in Sylhet on same day
  • Giving Ukraine jets would need 'months if not years' of training: UK PM
  • 'No magic wand' in Ukraine war, says UK's Wallace on question of supplying jets
  • UK economy fares worst among G7 countries in 2023
  • UK's teachers and civil servants join mass strike on 'Walkout Wednesday'

Features

Say it with Colours

Say it with Colours

9h | Mode
Photo: Courtesy

From 'Made in Bangladesh' to 'Designed in Bangladesh'

11h | Panorama
Google must adjust to a world where content is increasingly generated by AI. Photo: Bloomberg

Google will join the AI wars, pitting LaMDA against ChatGPT

8h | Panorama
The megaproject Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant has a debt of Tk90,474 crore. Photo: Courtesy

Projects funded with debt need to be selected prudently, and implemented timely

9h | Panorama

More Videos from TBS

ICB to withdraw Padma Bank Investment as return

ICB to withdraw Padma Bank Investment as return

1h | TBS Insight
Kiara Advani & Sidharth Malhotra's Wedding Update

Kiara Advani & Sidharth Malhotra's Wedding Update

1h | TBS Entertainment
US shoots down Chinese spy balloon

US shoots down Chinese spy balloon

18m | TBS World
Lack of coordination, policy biggest problems

Lack of coordination, policy biggest problems

5h | TBS Round Table

Most Read

1
Leepu realised his love for cars from a young age and for the last 40 years, he has transformed, designed and customised hundreds of cars. Photo: Collected
Panorama

'I am not crazy about cars anymore': Nizamuddin Awlia Leepu

2
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/File Photo
Economy

IMF approves $4.7 billion loan for Bangladesh, calls for ambitious reforms

3
Fund cut as Dhaka's fast-track transit projects on slow spending lane
Infrastructure

Fund cut as Dhaka's fast-track transit projects on slow spending lane

4
Photo: Collected
Court

Japanese mother gets guardianship of daughters, free to leave country

5
Belal Ahmed new acting chairman of SIBL
Banking

Belal Ahmed new acting chairman of SIBL

6
Photo: Collected
Startups

ShopUp secures $30m debt financing to boost expansion, supply chain

EMAIL US
[email protected]
FOLLOW US
WHATSAPP
+880 1847416158
The Business Standard
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
Copyright © 2023
The Business Standard All rights reserved
Technical Partner: RSI Lab

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - [email protected]

For advertisement- [email protected]