imago
The situation around the new Omikron virus is getting stranger and more dramatic! A couple who tested positive for the virus at the airport now fled from a quarantine hotel – the police had to give chase to stop an uncontrolled spread!
Couple flees quarantine hotel!
Dutch border police have arrested a couple after they escaped from a quarantine hotel. The pair were caught on Sunday on a plane that was due to take off for Spain, authorities said. The pair had earlier escaped from a hotel housing travellers from South Africa who had tested positive for Corona, some of whom had also been found to have the new Omikron variant.
Police handed the pair over to the health authorities. The pair were then quarantined again. A complaint of “endangering public safety” was initiated by authorities on Sunday evening.
Positive test confirmed!
The pair are a 30-year-old Spaniard and a 28-year-old Portuguese woman, a police spokesman told the AFP news agency. One of the two people had tested positive for the virus, a health department spokeswoman said. The other person tested negative but was still quarantined, she said.
The incident came after Dutch authorities announced that 13 of 61 travelers who arrived at Schiphol Airport on Friday on two planes from South Africa were infected with the new Omikron variant. Almost all of the Covid-positive passengers are currently in a quarantine hotel. However, a handful were also allowed to go home to quarantine. Passengers who tested negative were also ordered into domestic quarantine.
A few hours before the couple fled, Dutch Health Minister Hugo de Jonge had said authorities in the Netherlands would ensure quarantine rules were followed. “We will control if they follow these rules,” de Jonge told reporters.
Police and security forces were keeping watch at the quarantine hotel, an authority spokeswoman also said. “The security measures are in place for a reason.”