Six guest workers, all natives of Hooghly in West Bengal boarded an express train at Yeshwantpur in Karnataka on Sunday morning to get back home. Before entraining, officials took their temperature and swabs for testing. When the train was nearing Jolorpet junction, two of the six workers received a call on their mobiles from Yeshwantpur Railway police wanting to know their exact location. When the duo replied that they were nearing Jolorpet, the caller then revealed that both had tested positive for the virus and they were asked to detrain at Jolorpet station. Yeshwantpur officials also informed their colleagues at Jolorpet about the two positive cases and requested that they be admitted to the nearest medical facility.

But, so great was the fear of the two affected persons that when the train slowed at the signal near Thamalerimuthur, about 5 km from Jolorpet, both of them got off the train.

When the train reached Jolopet station, health and railway police officials swarmed into the compartment searching for the duo. When told that they had disembarked at Thamalerimuthur, all officials along with a 108 ambulance left immediately for the village. There they located the two West Bengal natives looking lost and forlorn.

Asked why they had detrained, the workers replied that they wanted to reach their homes by alternate means. Both were immediately put into the ambulance and rushed to Tirupattur Government Hospital, but as all beds there were full, they were then rushed to Ambur Government Hospital where they are undergoing treatment. The train was scheduled to reach Hooghly around 10 am on Monday.