Chennai, May 15 (IANS): Due to the lockdown, recovered Covid patients are finding it tough to reach their homes, as the call taxis and auto rickshaws are not plying on the streets citing police threat, said the son of a recovered patient.

"My mother, who had tested positive for Covid-19, was discharged today (Saturday). But call taxis and auto rickshaws were not accepting rides citing police harassment. They said police were levying heavy fines," Narayanan Anand, a private sector employee, told IANS.

According to him, his booking with an Ola cab got cancelled four times, while the same happened with Uber twice.

Finally he managed to get hold of an ambulance service provider who charged about Rs 1,000 per km which came to Rs 3,600 in his case.

The government as part of its lockdown restrictions had clearly said that call taxis and auto rickshaws are permitted if the passengers had to go to hospitals.

"The police should penalise the passengers who travel without any emergency and not the drivers so that the genuine travellers are not affected," Anand added.

His entire family was infected by Covid-19. While his mother was admitted to a hospital, the others, including Anand, were quarantined at home.

"The government appointed contact person to coordinate to meet our needs is not reachable," he added.