Coronavirus India: The train was briefly detained and the couple was taken to a hospital.
Highlights
- The couple boarded the train at Secunderabad on Saturday morning
- A co-passenger noticed home quarantine seal on the husband's hand
- The coach was completely sanitised and locked in Kazipet said officials
A couple was offloaded at a train station in Telangana's Warangal district from a Rajdhani Express train that was going from Bengaluru to Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin today. The couple reportedly came from Bali, Indonesia and were put under quarantine at Shamshabad airport.
In a couple of days, they decided to leave quarantine and boarded the train to Delhi.
On a tip-off from passengers, who saw the quarantine stamp on their hands, the ticket-checker then alerted the police. The couple was offloaded at Kazipet and sent to MGM Hospital in Warangal with full protective gear brought in by the medical team.
The train was briefly stopped and the couple was admitted to a hospital. The coach was completely sanitised in Kazipet and was locked, officials said.
"2 passengers marked with mandatory quarantine were found to be travelling on Rajdhani train between Bengaluru & Delhi today. They were immediately deboarded and the entire coach was sanitised. Citizens are advised to practice social distancing and follow quarantine requirements," the railways tweeted.
The air-conditioning was also switched off. The train left for its destination at 11.30 am.
The Railways has reported two other incidents when people asked to remain in home quarantine were found travelling on trains. Of the total people detected in the two instances, 12 later tested positive for the Novel Coronavirus or COVID-19.
"They came to India from Dubai last week. All concerned have been alerted to take necessary action," it said in a tweet.
In another case, eight passengers who travelled on AP Sampark Kranti Express from Delhi to Ramagundam on March 13 tested positive for the virus on Friday.
Maharashtra has reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases at 52, including three foreigners. State Health Minister Rajesh Tope made a fresh appealed to avoid public transport to contain the spread and warned of tougher measures, having already asked offices and shops to close.
With inputs from PTI