Coronavirus outbreak: Delhi government issues revised order on home isolation

The Delhi government has issued a revised order stating that the novel coronavirus patients who do not have comorbidities or require hospitalisation could opt for home isolation following the withdrawal of the decision on five-day mandatory institutional quarantine.

"All individuals who are positive will be referred to the COVID care centres for assessment of clinical conditions, severity of illness and presence of co-morbidities," it said in an order on Saturday.

An assessment will also be done to check whether adequate facilities like minimum two rooms and a separate toilet exist so that the family members and neighbours are protected and a cluster of cases does not develop in that locality, according to the order.

"If the adequate facility for home isolation exists, and the person on clinical assessment is found to have no comorbidities and does not require hospitalisation, he would be offered to either continue to stay in COVID centre/paid isolation facility (hotels etc), or can opt for home isolation," the order said.

The order said the patients in home isolation should follow home isolation guidelines laid down by the Health Ministry and should stay in touch with healthcare providers so that if their condition deteriorates, they can be moved to the COVID hospitals.

Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal had directed on Friday five-day mandatory institutional quarantine for every coronavirus patient, but the decision was revoked on Saturday following stiff opposition from the AAP government.

The development came after two meetings between the Delhi government and the Baijal.

The AAP government had contended that the mandatory institutional quarantine rule would be seriously harmful as the facilities would not be able to take the burden of the rising number of coronavirus cases.