Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor (L-G)Anil Baijal has ordered that every COVID-19 patient undertaking home isolation needs to undergo a five-day mandatory institutional-quarantine, which the Delhi government called “arbitrary” and will “seriously harm” the national capital which is already facing continuously rising number of coronavirus cases with limited number of beds for patients.
L-G said in his order that after the five-day institutional-quarantine at government-run facility dedicated for coronavirus patients, asymptomatic once will be sent for home-isolation. He also directed the authorities to conduct physical surveillance of patients undergoing self-quarantine.
“Mandatory physical verification of each case under home isolation is to be carried out by the Surveillance teams of the District Surveillance”, his order read,
“A five-day institutional quarantine of each case under home quarantine is to be made mandatory and thereafter will be sent for home isolation except in cases where symptoms require further hospitalisation, officers under overall supervision of the District Magistrate.” L-G’s order said.
The Delhi government while responding to this decision of the Central government said that they have shortage of doctors, medical staff and facilities to set up large quarantine centres.
“Today’s order of the Central government stopping home isolation will discourage people from testing and further spread coronavirus as asymptomatic and mild symptom patients will resist testing and will not be quarantined,” it said.
“Entire manpower of the Delhi government is already stretched. Now, large quarantine centres would need to be made to house thousands of asymptomatic people. Thousands of patients are being treated at home at the moment. After this order, we would immediately need thousands of beds in quarantine centres,” it added.
Delhi government was till now was allowing those COVID-19 patients who are asymptomatic to undertake home quarantine with precautions. Over 8,400 coronavirus patients are in home isolation in the capital city.
At present the city has 53,116 positive cases of Coronavirus. While 27512 are active cases, 23,569 have recovered so far. The fatalities in the capital reached, 2035.