Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for a nationwide lockdown and appealed to the citizens of India with ‘folded hands’ to stay home. He urged people not to travel and stay wherever they are until April 15 in order to keep a check on the spread of novel coronavirus. But not all are listening to him and one of them is an IAS officer from Kerala, Anupam Mishra.
Mishra is appointed as a sub-collector in the Kollam district of Kerala. He was subjected to home quarantine as he reported to work after returning from Singapore on March 18, reports Deccan Herald. He had reportedly taken a leave to travel to Malaysia and Singapore following his wedding.
As per norms, anyone returning from a coronavirus hit nation is put in 14 days self-isolation and Mishra was supposed to follow the same. But he skipped the home quarantine and traveled to Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
“The sub-collector returned to Kollam on March 19 to join duty but was asked to go into home quarantine as a precautionary measure since he had just returned from abroad after the leave. However, on Thursday, we found out that he was not in Kollam. Instead, he had reached Kanpur. He had left on the 19th itself,” Kollam Collector B Abdul Nasar told NDTV.
After the state government sought an explanation for Mishra’s move, Nasar allegedly submitted a report on Mishra to the Kerala government. “This is very irresponsible behavior. What else can be said about this? There will be action against him. He is not in Kollam,” Kerala Fisheries Minister J Mercykutty Amma said.
The government has assured strict actions against Mishra for breaking the home quarantine protocol. Such stupid actions coming from a well-educated person in power is totally unacceptable. It’s high time people understand the gravity of the severe health emergency.