Delhi Covid-19: AAP has its way on home isolation

AAP-led Delhi government finally had its way on home isolation of Covid-19 patients with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Thursday reversing his order that all such people should first go to a quarantine centre to assess whether they are eligible for staying at their residences during treatment.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) chaired by Baijal and attended by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia among others.

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Responding to the decision taken at the DDMA meeting, Sisodia said, "there is happy news for the people of Delhi. The Centre has withdrawn its order after our request. The old system of Delhi government will remain applicable for home isolation."

Baijal had first ordered last Saturday that all Covid-19 positive patients need to undergo mandatory five-day quarantine in an institutional facility, which was reversed later following the AAP government stepping up the pressure.

However, he then ordered that all Covid-19 patients should go to a Covid-19 facility for examination by experts whether they are eligible for home isolation, which was again objected by the AAP government saying that it would create more inconvenience for patients.

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Sisodia on Wednesday said there are two models -- (Home Minister) Amit Shah Model and Arvind Kejriwal Model -- in Delhi and "we should adopt a model that would not add to the woes of the people of Delhi. Let us not follow a model that further strains the overburdened healthcare system and adds to the woes of the people," he had said.

Sisodia had written three letters in two days to Baijal and Shah demanding that the authorities go back to the old formula on home isolation.

Also Read: Amit Shah model vs Kejriwal model: Tension building up between AAP-led Delhi and Centre

Baijal said in a tweet that the Delhi Health Department will deploy a "robust surveillance mechanism" and only those Covid-19 positive cases who do not have adequate facilities at home to ensure physical segregation and do not have other medical conditions would require to be shifted to Covid-19 Care Centres and other facilities.

According to the new directions, a patient would be allowed home isolation as per the assessment of the surveillance team if he is mild/pre-symptomatic/asymptomatic and has a residence of two rooms or a separate room and separate toilet for the patient. If the patient has moderate to severe symptoms with comorbidities, he will be transferred to an institutional facility.

Earlier, the LG had reversed Delhi government's decision to reserve hospital beds only for city residents as well as restricting sample tests for the virus infection.