Centre on Friday cautioned state governments against assigning COVID-19 patients home isolation without adherence to the guidelines hinting that it could be the reason for the sudden spurt in infections.
“...some instances have been noticed wherein home isolation is allowed in a routine manner in certain States, and clauses of the Revised Guidelines are not followed in letter and spirit,” Luv Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry, said in a letter to all state governments.
He said routine assignment of home isolation may lead to spread of the disease within the family members and neighbours, more so in urban settings such as dense urban agglomerations.
Agarwal pointed out that home isolation can be assigned only after physical assessment of the patient’s residential premises to ensure a separate room with toilet facilities for him and access to a dedicated caregiver.
The guidelines also state that the patient shall agree to monitor his/her health and regularly inform the health status to the District Surveillance Officer for further follow up by the surveillance teams.