SG PETANI – A man, believed to be Covid-19 positive, decided to defy standard operating procedures (SOPs) when he drove himself to the hospital after an ambulance failed to show up at his home in Taman Kempas here.
The 38-year-old man, who was spotted with a pink bracelet, was briefly detained at the north toll booth roadblock in Sg Petani last night.
Upon questioning, he claimed that he was driving himself to nearby Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital as his distress call for an ambulance went unheeded.
The man, a factory worker, was living alone when he suffered shortness of breath and fatigue prompting him to call for an ambulance.
“Having waited for several minutes, he decided to drive himself to the hospital,” said Kuala Muda district police chief Adzli Abu Shah.
“Police decided to escort the driver to the hospital for treatment.”
The man was ordered by health authorities to self-quarantine at home for the past five days when symptoms associated with the coronavirus began to show.
Meanwhile, Adzli said that several residents here continued to be stubborn and attempted to leave town despite the ban on inter-district and inter-state travel.
He said that between July 11 and Sunday, 54 motorists who were stopped at roadblocks were ordered to turn back.
Police also issued 16 compounds and detained six others for violating the SOPs – The Vibes, July 20, 2021