Haryana man uses bedsheet to escape isolation ward, falls to death

A 55-year-old coronavirus suspect fell to his death from the sixth floor of a hospital in Haryana while allegedly trying to escape. The incident occurred at Karnal’s Kalpana Chawla Medical College on early Monday (April 6) morning, said police.

The deceased was identified as a resident of a village in neighbouring Panipat. In his bid to climb down and escape from the isolation ward, the man had tied together a bedsheet, a polythene sheet and his shirt to make a rope.

Reports suggest he was admitted to the hospital on April 1, and even though he did not show any COVID-19 symptoms, he was isolated since he had multiple ailments. The final coronavirus test report of the man is yet to come out.

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“He was admitted to the isolation ward. He tried to escape in the early hours of Monday, but fell to his death,” said Inspector Sanjeev Gaur of Karnal Police.

The incident has raised questions on the security of the isolation wards. Asked if none of the hospital staff noticed him trying to escape, the officer said the man was kept in a separate room in the isolation ward and thus no one noticed what he was doing at that time.

Asked if his coronavirus test report has arrived, the police officer said the man’s preliminary report was negative though the final one is awaited.

Last month, an Australia-returned coronavirus suspect had committed suicide by jumping off from the seventh floor of Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi.

(With inputs from agencies)