Twenty-four people who were quarantined in Sammarimai Rural Municipality, Rupandehi, have left the facility, citing lack of food and proper accommodation.

The municipal office had set-up a quarantine facility at a local madrasa in Asuraina five days ago.

All 24 individuals had arrived from different parts of India in the last 10 days. They had been brought to the quarantine facility on Monday. By Thursday evening, all 24 had left the facility.

According to Munsi Prasad Yadav, the health coordinator of the rural municipality, the quarantined people were discharged after informing their respective ward chairpersons.

“We couldn’t stop them from leaving. They complained of not having proper facilities here. Some of them were getting agitated,” Yadav said. “The municipal office decided to let them go to avoid possible clashes between them and the health workers.”

The municipal office, however, is not sure whether the people who left the quarantine facility were observing self-isolation at their homes.

“We don’t have any information about their status since they left the quarantine on Thursday evening,” said Yadav.

Those who were staying in the quarantine facility had been protesting since the first day.

“We were fed only rice and potato soup. We couldn’t sleep at night because of the mosquitoes. We decided to leave the facility was poorly managed,” said a man from Sammarimai, who spent five days in the facility.