MADRID (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th March, 2020) Spanish police have been alerted to return to hospitals several runaway COVID-19 patients, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said on Tuesday, adding that the incident was another demonstration of a lack of solidarity amid the epidemic in the country.
"I want to draw attention to new incidents related to the lack of solidarity. Several people who were in various hospitals � two in Leganes [a suburb of Madrid] and one in Benidorm [Valencia] � left hospitals in an absolutely irresponsible manner, threatening other citizens," the minister said at an online press conference.
Police officers returned them to hospitals, and took necessary measures to prevent them from repeating their actions, Grande-Marlaska said.
By Spanish law, the violators face a fine from 601 Euros ($648) to 30,000 euros.
Since the introduction of high alert and general quarantine in Spain on March 14, more than 900 people were detained and 100,000 warnings were issued.
On Tuesday, the Spanish Health Ministry updated the coronavirus case count to 39,673, adding that the death toll reached 2,696 after increasing by 514 over the past 24 hours.
