Wife of Bengaluru Google techie did not ‘flee’ over coronavirus fears: Karnataka govt

Contrary to earlier reports, she hadn’t stepped in Bengaluru city and had gone from the airport to Delhi directly.

Coronavirus Coronavirus

A 25-year-old woman, who is currently in Agra, and is married to a Bengaluru techie working at Google did not flee from officials at the airport, clarified Karnataka state health officials. A report that went viral in the morning had claimed that the couple returned from Italy to Bengaluru and the wife fled after the husband was tested positive for coronavirus on March 7.

Speaking to the media during a press meet, Dr Sudhakar the Minister of Medical Education stated that the woman and her husband had gone on their honeymoon to Switzerland and Greece (not Italy), and returned to Mumbai on March 6.

“From Mumbai, they reached Bengaluru on March 8 at around 9.45 pm. She left from the airport at 1.30 am on March 9 to Delhi. From Delhi she traveled to Agra,” clarified Sudhakar.

Her husband fell sick while he was at work, a day later and he was subsequently found to be positive only on March 12. The Karnataka government therefore says that it would be wrong to say she fled, as on March 9, her husband had not shown any symptoms or tested positive.

However, the government added that when the husband fell sick, clear details were not given about the wife's journey.

"The wife never entered Bengaluru. She could have flown from Mumbai to Delhi but maybe she wanted to drop the husband in Bengaluru and say goodbye. They were on a honeymoon," an official said during the daily press briefing.

According to sources, her interim test was positive, but results of second test are still awaited. The Karnataka government said that they had not received any word from Uttar Pradesh on whether she had tested positive.

It is however unclear if the woman's family were not co-operative with Agra officials. Times of India had quoted an official saying that the woman's father had misguided them saying she had gone back to Bengaluru. A friend of the couple however wrote on Facebook that the woman had been quarantined in a hospital that was unhygienic and the family had sought permission to leave, which the authorities granted. The next day, she was taken back to the quarantine. (presumably after her first test was positive).

The man was reportedly staying at the Old Airport Road area in Bengaluru and he works in Google’s RMZ Infinity office.

Officials from the Karnataka Health Department said that they were in touch with health authorities in both Agra and Mumbai and are updating them of all developments.

Earlier in Bengaluru, a Dell employee from Austin, Texas, who traveled via Dubai was found to be positive for the disease. Subsequently, his wife and child also fell ill and were confirmed to have contracted the infection. Another employee from Mindtree who had returned to the US via London was the fourth confirmed positive case in the city and the Google employee the fifth individual.

Officials in Karnataka announced on Friday that malls, theatres and pubs would be closed in the state for a week over the coronavirus outbreak.

Strict restrictions have been placed in Kalaburagi, where a 76-year-old man died after contracting the disease. This was the first death reported in India due to the disease.

*A patient’s identity is not revealed by the government for privacy reasons. Some patients choose to make a public declaration of their health status.