‘Institutional Quarantine Not Mandatory for COVID Cases’: Delhi LG

LG Anil Baijal had ordered mandatory five-day institutional quarantine for each COVID case under home-quarantine.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal inspects a hospital in the national capital.

(Photo: PTI)

A day after Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal clarified that only those COVID positive cases which do not require hospitalisation on clinical assessment and do not have adequate facilities for home isolation would be required to undergo institutional isolation, Delhi government has shared an elaborate order for home isolation.

In its order, the government has said that the individuals who are positive will be referred to COVID care centres for assessment of clinical conditions, severity of illness and comorbidities.

Physical assessment will also be done for adequate facilities for home isolation to avoid cluster of cases in a locality, said the government.

“If adequate facility for home isolation exists, and person on clinical assessment is found to have no co-morbidities & doesn’t require hospitalisation, they would be offered to either continue to stay in COVID centre/paid isolation facility or can opt for home isolation.”

Delhi government

(Photo: ANI)

Earlier on Saturday, Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia had tweeted saying “all the fears of LG saheb regarding home isolation were resolved in the SDMA meeting and now the system of home isolation will continue.”

“After stopping the home isolation, LG sahab, in its order yesterday, also stopped the work of the company which was counselling the patients at home. Now this facility will continue till Monday and its other options will be discussed again on Monday with the preparations of the Health Department,” his tweet read.

This came hours after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal reportedly opposed the LG’s earlier decision of five-day compulsory institutional quarantine for COVID-19 patients.

Quoting sources, ANI had reported on Saturday, 20 June that Chief Minister Kejriwal said that mandatory quarantine “will make people evade testing which will further increase the spread of infection.”

He had also questioned why there were different rules for Delhi when “the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is allowing home-isolation for asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic cases across the country.”

In his order on Friday, the Lieutenant Governor had said that a review conducted by the home ministry had observed that home isolation without physical contact to monitor the patients could have been a reason for an increase in the spread of infection in Delhi.

'Arbitrary Decision Will Seriously Harm Delhi': AAP

In response to home ministry's observation and the Lieutenant Governor order, the Delhi government had said, "We have been completely supportive of the central government in our collective fight against coronavirus, but this arbitrary decision will seriously harm Delhi. They should reconsider this decision."

The Kejriwal-led government had also asked why different parameters were being set for Delhi, when whole of India is following ICMR guidelines?

“Entire manpower of Delhi govt 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.”

AAP