Outrage in India as migrants sprayed with disinfectant to fight coronavirus
31 March, 2020
Indian health personnel caused outrage on Monday (Mar 30) by spraying a group of migrants with disinfectant, amid fears that a large scale movement of folks from cities to the countryside risked spreading the coronavirus.
Footage showed several migrant workers sitting on a street in Bareilly, an area in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, as health officials in protective suits used hose pipes to douse them in disinfectant, prompting anger on social media.
Nitish Kumar, the most notable government official in the district, said health workers have been ordered to disinfect buses being used by the neighborhood authorities but in their zeal had also turned their hoses on migrant workers.
"I have asked for action to be taken against those responsible for this," he said in a tweet.
India imposed a nationwide lockdown on Mar 25, with thousands of labourers subsequently fleeing cities because of their home villages after work - and public transport - vanished.
India has registered greater than a thousand cases of the brand new coronavirus, of whom 29 have died, medical Ministry said on Monday. Health officials say India is weeks away from a surge in cases that could overwhelm its weak public health system.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com
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