COVID-19 patients booked for not disclosing contacts who later

An FIR was registered on Tuesday against a couple, both COVID-19 patients, and one of their relatives in Gandhinagar for allegedly not disclosing the names of two persons who came in contact with them and later tested positive for the coronavirus, an official said.

The couple's uncle, who was among the two persons who later tested positive for the viral infection, was also booked for not informing health authorities that he came in contact with his nephew after the latter's return from Dubai, he said.

The couple returned from Dubai on March 16. The 28- year-old man tested positive for the coronaviurs March 20 while his wife was also diagnosed with the viral infection the next day.

Both of them and their family members had to disclose names of all the people they met after their return from Dubai, as per a notification of the state health department.

They disclosed names of 54 people with whom they had come in contact, but did not mention the names of their uncle and aunt, both of whom tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday.

"The administration prepared an exhaustive list of 54 people who came in contact with the 28-year-old man (who returned from Dubai) and screened them. But when it came to our notice that the names of his uncle and aunt were not disclosed in the list, we decided to register an FIR against the man and his wife for flouting the health department's notification," Gandhinagar collector Kuldeep Arya said.

The man's uncle and aunt met him at his home in the state capital on March 17, a day after their return to the city from Dubai.

Neither he, nor his wife or his sister-in-law disclosed the names of these two persons who tested positive on Monday, following which the three were booked, Arya said.

The uncle, who is also under treatment, was booked for hiding the fact that he met his nephew (who returned from Dubai) on March 17, he said.

The FIR was registered against the four persons at Sector 21 police station in Gandhinagar under IPC Sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of didease dangerous to life) and the Epidemic Diseases Act Section 3 (disobeying any regulation or order) and , the official said.