Bengal 60-year-old forced to spend Covid self-quarantine on boat after village ostracises

Amid the 14-days quarantine as advised by doctors, an elderly man has been living on a boat in a village in West Bengal after the villagers allegedly forced him to do so. According to reports, he has been living on the boat since the past four days at the Dobapara area under Habibpur block in the Malda district.

The 60-year-old man, identified as Niranjan Halder, is a resident of the Nabadwip area of Nadia district. Speaking to the news agency ANI, he said, "I was suffering from fever after the outbreak of COVID-19. The villagers did not allow me to enter into their village and then I took shelter in the boat following the advice of local doctors for a 14 days quarantine."

According to reports, after the incident, officials from the local administration stated that they are taking adequate measures. Currently, there are 53 positive cases of Coronavirus detected in West Bengal, out of which three are reported to have recovered. Meanwhile, six people have been reportedly died. 

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The Coronavirus crisis

As per the latest figures, there are over 2060 coronavirus positive cases in India. While 53 deaths have been reported overall, 156 people have also been cured/discharged/migrated.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced a 21-day lockdown in the entire country effective from midnight of March 25 to deal with the spread of coronavirus, saying that "social distancing" is the only option to deal with the disease, which spreads rapidly. The 21-day curfew is applicable to all states, districts, and villages - irrespective of whether they were earlier under curfew or not.

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(With ANI Inputs)