A man from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, despite having travelled to a foreign country, allegedly evaded the screening process and was later tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The state police registered an FIR against him on Friday.
Two members of his family have tested positive for COVID 19 and reports suggest that eight of his employees are suspected to have caught the infection.
The man returned to Jabalpur from Dubai on March 16 and failed to undergo screening and also did not isolate himself at home, district collector, Bharat Yadav, told news agency PTI.?
It is mandatory for people with a history of foreign travel to undergo screening before entering the district, he said.
On Friday, Madhya Pradesh recorded its first cases of coronavirus with four persons testing positive in Jabalpur city. It included this man and two women in his family.
As many as 22 people who worked at the man's shop were examined, and eight of them were found to have symptoms of coronavirus. Their test reports are awaited, Yadav said.
A case has been registered against the man under IPC sections 188 (defying lawful order of a public servant) and 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life).
The administration is tracking everyone who came in contact with him.
The eight employees with virus symptoms were quarantined at the district hospital. Meanwhile, the district authority has ordered the closure of all city markets and stopped bus and transport services except those engaged in supply of essential goods.?