A mobile court has fined a Saudi Arabia returnee Tk 10,000 for breaking rules of home quarantine, set in place to combat the coronavirus outbreak, reports UNB. The returnee is Lal Miah, 40, son of Taru Miah. He is a resident of Brammonbari village of Saturia upazila, reports UNB.
The government had made it obligatory for Bangladeshis returning from abroad to undertake 14-day quarantine. Lal Miah left his house while serving his quarantine period. A mobile court, led by Upazila Nirbahi Officer and Executive Magistrate Ashraful Alam, fined him around 6pm on Sunday.
The fine should serve as a warning for other returnees, some of whom are reportedly failing to comply with quarantine rules. Health Minister Zahid Maleque said on Saturday that people coming to Bangladesh from infected countries will be kept in compulsory quarantine.
“Anyone violating the directive will be jailed and fined,” he said. The move is part of the government’s initiative to control the spread of coronavirus, which has killed more than 6,500 people globally so far. Bangladesh reported its first cases earlier this month and another two cases this week. The first three patients have recovered and were discharged from hospital.
