On Saturday, people who were quarantined at the ESI hospital in Asansol in West Bengal reportedly created nuisance due to a lack of water supply in toilets and access to drinking water. People kept under quarantine at the hospital also said that they were not being tested for the Wuhan Coronavirus.
West Bengal: People kept in quarantine at ESI Hospital in Asansol, created ruckus y’day, alleging that the toilet facilities there don’t have water supply & the people are not being given access to proper drinking water. They also alleged that they’re not being tested for COVID19 pic.twitter.com/KGdKMBhwrb
— ANI (@ANI) May 9, 2020
Another person stranded at the quarantine centre complained that 1 litre of water had been provided for 32 people. Pointing out the unhygienic conditions under which they were forced to live, the individual said that the food was transported in dirty vehicles. Another person requested the hospital authorities to get them tested for the Chinese virus. “If found negative, let us go”, the person reiterated. The individual added, “Until we get the report, we won’t eat anything.”
One person named Abdul Karim Hussain said that they were told they will be allowed to go home after the reports of their tests come. But till now even the tests have not been done, so there is no question of getting reports. He said that the toilets don’t have water, and the place from where drinking water can be collected has been kept locked.
Coronavirus in West Bengal
Aa of May 9, 1786 people have tested positive for the Chinese virus in the State of West Bengal. The deplorable conditions of the government-run facilities could be seen in a video shared by Babul Supriyo, BJP MP from Asansol. The man holding the camera highlighted a dead body lying unattended on a bed for over 2-3 hours.
Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT), in a letter to the State Secretary, pointed out the “extremely high mortality rate” of Coronavirus in the State of West Bengal. It attributed the weak surveillance of the government and the low testing conducted in the State as the cause behind the high mortality rate.
