Planet of the Apes Lockdown Edition: Monkeys Snatch Covid-19 Samples From Meerut Lab Technician

Coronavirus

Planet of the Apes Lockdown Edition: Monkeys Snatch Covid-19 Samples From Meerut Lab Technician

Illustration: Robin Chakraborty

In the past five months, 2020 has given us headlines that are either heartbreaking or absolutely bizarre. There really is no in-between. And it seems like the year has enough room to squeeze in some monkey business too, quite literally.

As the nation continues to remain under lockdown in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, scientists have been hard at work for months, trying to crack an antidote to the deadly virus. However, in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut a troop of monkeys decided to take matters into their own hands. On Friday, May 29, a lab technician said to be carrying test samples of three Covid-19 suspected patients was attacked by a group of monkeys. The primates then snatched the test samples and fled the scene.

The troublesome incident, which took place on the premises of Meerut Medical College, has caused much panic and distress among the locals.

In a now viral video, to make matters worse, one of the monkeys was later spotted perched on a tree chewing on the sample collection kits. Some parts of the stolen kits were also seen scattered below the tree.

However, when approached by the media, Meerut district magistrate Anil Dhingra denied having come across any such video but assured that the authorities would look into the matter. On the other hand, locals fear that the unexpected turn of events could lead to further spread of the coronavirus as the monkeys are said to have carried the samples to surrounding residential areas.

Online, people have voiced their disappointment towards the technician’s irresponsibility.

But the rather odd and amusing situation has left many wondering, “What the hell just happened here?”

Expect the unexpected.

2020 is a whole tragicomedy we didn’t see coming.

Since the lockdown, over the last 2-3 months, there have been recurring instances of monkeys causing chaos in urban areas. This particular incident, however, is a cause for concern as monkeys supposedly are not immune to the novel coronavirus, and could contract the infection.

To sci-fi lovers, this could be the start of The Rise of The Planet of The Apes.

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