October Actress Banita Sandhu Says She Has Always Been COVID Negative, Issues Clarification

Banita Sandhu was reported to have tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this month, a claim which she has now denied.

Banita Sandhu has issued clarification on the reports that she refused to get treatment at a government hospital in Kolkata, after she tested positive for the coronavirus. In a note shared on Instagram, Banita has said that she was never diagnosed with the disease.

Banita, who arrived in Kolkata in early January to shoot for her film Kavita and Teresa, said she had tested negative in multiple Covid-19 tests, before and after her arrival in India. 'I appreciate all the well wishes and concern, however, in spite of what has been published, I am grateful to say I continue to test negative for coronavirus. To clarify some of the misinformation: I flew to Kolkata on the 3rd of January to finish filming Kavita & Teresa. I had two negative COVID-19 PCR tests before leaving. I tested again on arrival and stayed in isolation at the CNCI hospital overnight until my results returned the next day, one a false positive and the other negative,' she wrote.

However, when she learned that despite getting a negative result, she would have been made to isolate with two Covid-19 positive patients, she chose shift to a private hospital instead. 'I was taken to Beleghata Hospital to carry out more tests. However, after being informed I would be quarantined with two COVID-19 positive patients, I asked to self-isolate in a private facility while I waited to be tested again. At Medica, I continued to produce negative COVID-19 PCR results every two days; on the 11th of January, I was discharged,' she wrote.

Banita is still grateful for all that medical workers are doing during the pandemic. 'I understand the gravity of the situation and have made every effort to adhere to government guidelines to ensure the safety of others as well as my own. Also, I'd especially like to thank all the medical staff. I have seen first-hand how tirelessly they are working right now. They are genuine heroes who deserve so much credit for their extraordinary commitment to helping us through these incredibly challenging times. Stay safe everyone,' she wrote.

On January 5, health department sources had said that Banita had tested positive and refused to come out of the ambulance alleging that the hospital lacked proper infrastructure. 'We had to inform the state secretariat and the health department as she was unwilling to come out of the ambulance and at one point of time, she wanted to leave. The British High Commission was informed as we cannot let her go like this which is against the protocol. We had to inform the police also. They (police personnel) came and surrounded the ambulance so that she cannot leave,' the official had said.