COVID-19: Those in home quarantine in Karnataka directed to send selfies every hour to govt

The Government of Karnataka has found an interesting way to make sure all those, who are under home quarantine, obey the rules.

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All those, under quarantine, have to send selfies to the government, every 60 minutes except from 10 pm to 7 am using the quarantine watch mobile app. If they don’t, government teams are authorised to send defaulters to mass quarantine facilities. According to a circular, the selfies contain GPS coordinates, which helps teams monitor location and movement.

Asked if home-quarantined can take pictures every hour and send it at the end of the day together, Jawaid Akhtar, additional chief secretary, Health Department, said, “The pictures are time stamped. So, they have to send it every
hour.”

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When asked if this inconveniences patients to a large extent as one may want to nap in the afternoon, Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar said, “One can relax for two hours at noon while having lunch and nap. This is to ensure strict surveillance and we have to take it seriously. But we will not be very strict. This kind of surveillance is important.”