Delhi L-G orders 5-day institutional quarantine for Covid patients

Five-day institutional-quarantine has been made mandatory for every Covid-19 patient under home-quarantine in Delhi, Lt Governor Anil Baijal ordered on Friday.

He also ordered discontinuation “with immediate effect” of the services of a private agency that was making telephonic contact with home-quarantined individuals to guide them. However, at least four district magistrates said there is no clarity as yet on whether the order on institutional-quarantine also covers existing home-quarantined patients. They said a clarity might come on Saturday during a high-level meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority, to be chaired by the LG. 

“Five days institutional-quarantine of each case under home-quarantine is to be made mandatory and, thereafter, (they) will be sent for home-isolation, except in cases where symptoms require further hospitalisation,” Baijal said.

The Delhi government called it an “arbitrary” decision, and demanded it be reconsidered by the Centre. In a statement, the Delhi government said that this will discourage many people from getting tested and will "spread coronavirus" further as asymptomatic patients or those with mild symptoms will resist testing. It pointed out that the city already has a “serious shortage” of doctors and nurses to provide care for Covid-19 patients.