Dutch military police on Sunday arrested a couple who escaped from a quarantine hotel and tried to fly from Amsterdam, reports AP.
One of them had recently tested positive for covid-19.
The couple was arrested at 6 pm on board a plane that was ready to depart and was going to Spain.
Horror detection in hospitals: – Alarming
Infected on aircraft
The drama unfolded after 61 people arrived at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam on Friday, tested positive for corona.
A total of 13 of them were detected the new virus variant omikron.
The police state that they are a 30-year-old man from Spain and a 28-year-old woman from Portugal.
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Put in isolation
One of the two had tested positive for corona and was put in isolation, while the other tested negative, but was quarantined. This is stated by the Dutch health authorities.
It is not known how they left the hotel and how it was discovered.
They are now both set in isolation in two different hotels.
– Shall we laugh or cry?
Expect people to take responsibility
A spokesperson for the security service at Schiphol Airport tells AP that quarantine is not mandatory, but…
– We expect people to act responsibly, she says, and continues:
– There were a couple who wanted to go home, and they tried to fly home. The Royal Marechaussee (Dutch military police, journ.anm.) Removed them from the plane and sent them to local health authorities.
The police have charged the couple with endangering other people’s lives and health.
Checked the back seat – got a shock
Unbelievable
Marianne Schuurman is the mayor of Haarlemmermeer municipality, where Schiphol Airport is located, and she was the one who ordered the military police to arrest the couple.
– It is incomprehensible that people who have tested positive can do this, she says to the Dutch broadcaster WNL.
– Very worrying
The new corona variant was first discovered in South Africa and reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) on 24 November.
The variant has already managed to spread to a number of countries around the world, including several countries in Europe.
It is estimated that the variant is highly contagious, due to the fact that the virus has an unusual number of mutations.
There is also a major concern that the vaccine is less effective in meeting the new mutation, according to Reuters.
“Omikron has a number of spike mutations that are unparalleled, some of which are very worrying given their potential impact on the development of the pandemic,” the WHO said in a statement. Reuters.
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