The ten India returnees, who fled the Jessore General Hospital despite testing positive for Covid-19, have been apprehended.
Police caught those 10 people by 3pm on Monday, said Jessore Civil Surgeon Dr Sheikh Abu Shaheen.
The apprehended escapees are Fatema, 19, of Jessore Sadar upazila; Ruma, 30; Shefali Rani, 42, of Jhenaidah; Moni Mala, of Jessore town; Nasima Begum, 50, of Sadar upazila; Amirul, 52, of Khulna; Sohail, 17, of Rupsha upazila; Pradeep Biswas, 37, of Jessore town; Vivekananda, 52, of Khulna Sadar; and Milon of Satkhira.
“All of them will be brought back to Jessore General Hospital for treatment,” he added.
Earlier, the quarantined people who had tested positive for Covid-19 after returning from India had escaped from the designated ward at Jessore General Hospital.
Dr Dilip Kumar Roy, the supervisor of Jessore General Hospital, had confirmed the matter to Dhaka Tribune on Monday.
He had said: “Eleven people, who tested positive for Covid-19 at the border upon their return from India, were admitted to the hospital. In the last two or three day, 10 of them have managed to flee."
He then added that they had prepared the list of the escapees and it was sent to the local police station and the Jessore superintendent of police.
Earlier, Jessore Health and Family Welfare Officer Dr Mohammad Yusuf Ali said: “At least 29 people tested positive for Covid-19 at Benapole land port between April 1 and 25. On April 23, some of the infected were shifted from Benapole to the Covid-19 ward at Jessore General Hospital for treatment."
They were admitted to the hospital with the help of police. The District Corona Prevention Committee and Jessore hospital authorities were responsible for taking care of them, he said.
Some doctors at Jessore General Hospital were concerned whether the 10 patients were infected with the Indian variant of Covid-19.
The district's Civil Surgeon Dr Sheikh Abu Shaheen had told Dhaka Tribune that after hearing about the escapes, he had visited and spoken with the hospital supervisor on Sunday.
A case was filed with the police after the visit.