Institutional quarantine for 50-plus patients with comorbidity: BMC

Health workers wearing protective gear use fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of residents during a coronavirus screening at Dharavi slums in Mumbai on August 18, 2020. Credit: AFP Photo

Asymptomatic coronavirus patients who are above 50 and have co-morbidities will be asked to go into institutional quarantine, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Friday evening.

The civic body once again modified its quarantine guidelines.

As per the revised guidelines, asymptomatic Covid-19 patients who are over 50 and have co-morbidities "will be persuaded not to home quarantine".

Follow latest updates on the Covid-19 pandemic here

All other asymptomatic positive patients without co- morbidity will be given the choice of home quarantine.

The SWM (solid waste management) department shall carry out sanitization at least once when a case is detected in a housing society, the BMC said.

"The home of the patient and the common areas both should be sanitized," it said.

According to the BMC's earlier guidelines issued on August 19, all Covid-19 patients above 50 years with or without co-morbidities should be asked to get admitted in Covid Care Centres, irrespective of symptoms.

The decision was taken to bring down the mortality rate of Covid-19 patients.