Delhi has the third highest number of coronavirus cases in India.
New Delhi:
A decree ordering a five-day institutional quarantine for anyone tested positive for a coronavirus in Delhi, issued by Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal, was withdrawn Saturday, a day after it sparked huge controversy and heated protests from the government of the Aam Aadmi party.
The decision came after Delhi’s chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, asked why a separate rule was being created for the city, sources said, and opposed Mr. Baijal’s order in a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority, chaired by the Lieutenant Governor.
With regard to institutional isolation, only cases positive for COVID which do not require hospitalization during the clinical evaluation and do not have adequate facilities for home isolation would be subject to institutional isolation.
– LG Delhi (@LtGovDelhi) June 20, 2020
Earlier today, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the order was contrary to directives from the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), which allowed the home isolation of asymptomatic patients and COVID-19 mild symptoms, and will create “chaos”. “in Delhi.
“Most corona patients are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms. How will arrangements be made for them? The coaches provided by the railways for isolation are warm inside where the patients cannot stay” said Mr. Kejriwal at the meeting.
Friday, Baijal ordered a five-day institutional quarantine for all asymptomatic COVID-19 patients or those with mild symptoms, saying that unattended home isolation led to an increase in the number of cases. He also ordered that after the five-day institutional quarantine, asymptomatic patients be sent to home isolation.
This decision is likely to weigh more heavily on the city’s extensive healthcare infrastructure, which is experiencing a sharp increase in the number of patients. Concerns have also been expressed that the rule would discourage people from reporting COVID-19 symptoms.
As of Friday, Delhi had more than 53,000 cases of coronavirus, of which more than 27,000 were active. More than 10,000 people with active infections are believed to be isolated at home.
Opposing the lieutenant governor’s decision, the PAA’s top executive and deputy for Rajya Sabha, Sanjay Singh, said the center was using “dictatorship”.
“He wants to send those who can recover within the confines of their homes to buses where the temperature is 47 degrees Celsius,” Singh tweeted in Hindi.
(With PTI entries)
