Mysore/Mysuru: A man from Hebbal, while giving his contact details at a throat and nasal swab collection centre in city, hoodwinked the officials and gave a wrong telephone number. He did this to dodge COVID-19 quarantine and isolation rules.
In his attempt to fool the officers, the man blurted out a phone number that actually belonged to Mysuru Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G. Sankar. The official who noted down the phone number too did not realise this and the man was asked to give samples and go home.
The man in question tested positive and the Control Room staff at the DC Office called the phone number that was given by the man to inform him about his COVID positive status. The calling officer was surprised to find the DC himself answering the call.
Abhiram Sankar told SOM this morning, “I was surprised to receive a call from the Control Room where the caller told me that I had tested positive for the virus and was breaching quarantine norms. I told the officer on the other end that I am the DC speaking. The officer told me that the man had given my phone number to dodge rules. I was amused and equally shocked to realise what people can do to avoid quarantine and hospitalisation.”
The DC added that people must realise that providing correct contact information will actually control the spread of the disease. “Here in this case for example, the man gave my phone number. Probably he did not know that this was DC’s number. It is very difficult to trace virus-infected people and their primary and secondary contacts if the contact details are wrong. I appeal to people to desist from these acts and help the District Administration to fight the pandemic,” he said.
This post was published on July 25, 2020 2:48 pm