Story By: Ana Lacasa, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash

Newsflash

A man has been arrested for dressing up as a doctor to smuggle his wife out of a hotel where she was being quarantined after arriving into Argentina from overseas.

A CCTV camera in the Hotel Buenos Aires in the eastern Argentine capital Buenos Aires filmed a man in blue scrubs and face mask who was reportedly talking with hotel staff and health experts about a patient quarantined in room 301.

According to local media, the man attempted to walk out of the hotel, where around 2,000 people were staying in quarantine after arriving into the country from overseas, with his wife and two suitcases.

When he was stopped by hotel workers, the husband pretended to be a doctor and said he was working within the health department’s guidelines, according to reports.

However, during the conversation he reportedly admitted that he was not a doctor and the police were called to the scene.

Local media said the unnamed man was taken to a nearby police station before being escorted to his home where he now has to spend the next 14 days in self-isolation.

Meanwhile, the local authorities reportedly took away his driving licence and warned him that he could face a prison sentence if he breaks the lockdown rules again.

His wife remains in quarantine in the hotel with around 2,000 other people which is being paid for by the government, according to local media.

It is unclear whether the man was fined for the incident and whether his wife is facing legal action for attempting to break out of quarantine.

As of 31st March, Argentina has reported 966 cases of COVID-19 and 24 related deaths, according to the latest data from the Johns Hopkins University.

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