A patient under observation (PDP) for possible coronavirus infection left isolation from a hospital in the Central Java city of Tegal over the weekend, with his wife reportedly aiding his escape.
According to reports, the patient, who is identified as a driver in Jakarta who had recently returned to Tegal, was placed in the city's PDP list and placed in isolation at the Harapan Anda Islamic Hospital due to his travel history.
On Saturday evening, employees at the hospital were scrambling to find the patient, who had left isolation, and found out via CCTV footage that he had walked out of the hospital with his wife.
Authorities spent hours looking for the patient and eventually found him in his home village the next day. "Praise God, we found him and he promised to return to the hospital," Tegal Deputy Mayor Jumadi told Kompas.
Tegal Health Agency Head Hendadi Setiaji said the patient was bored in isolation. He even requested to be transferred to a VIP room in the hospital, but was turned down because COVID-19 handling protocol dictated that PDP individuals must be placed in isolation.
"The patient felt that he was healthy, even though his test results hadn't come," Hendadi said.
The patient's family, including his wife, will reportedly be subject to COVID-19 tests and may be placed in isolation themselves after the escape.