Story By: Anastasia Smirnova, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
CEN
A Russian woman staged a great escape complete with a hand-drawn map so she could flee from a hospital where she was quarantined for a suspected Coronavirus infection.
Alla Ilyina, 32, came back from the beautiful resort island of Hainan in south-central China on 30 January and initially did not show any signs of Coronavirus, now formally called COVID-19, by the World Health Organization (WHO).
She was warned by customs officials at the Pulkovo International Airport in her home city of St Petersburg that she should immediately call an ambulance if she felt any symptoms of the illness.
So when she suffered from throat pain just four days later, she called an ambulance.
However, she was surprised to find a massive team of experts from the Russian health watchdog suddenly turning up at her door to accompany her to quarantine.
Initially Alla was supposed to spend just one day in the quarantine ward of the city’s Clinical Infectious Disease Hospital but soon she found out that she’d have to stay there for the whole two weeks.
Upon hearing the news of her lengthy detention, Alla reportedly decided to flee and hatched a plan including the crudely-drawn escape map seen in these photos.
Thanks to her some handy practical skills Alla was allegedly able to unlock the door of her room and leave the hospital.
Following her alleged ‘escape’, she proudly showed off the drawing which she used to win her supposed freedom.
Alla alleged her detention was a waste of time and added the fact that they did not try to find her was proof there was no risk.
was surprised to find out that she did not get a single call from the hospital or police in the four days following her escape.
She told local media: “If I was sick, they would have called me a gazillion times.”
However, Aleksey Yakovlev, head of the hospital said she had no need to flee and added: “She could have easily signed a form, refusing the quarantine and gone home freely.”
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