Coronavirus scare: Goa govt invokes Epidemic Diseases Act

PANAJI: In a major step to contain spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19), the state government on Friday invoked the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897. The act empowers state health officials to admit any person and isolate him or her if he or she has history of visit to an area where Covid-19 is endemic and is found to be symptomatic.
It allows an authorised officer to forcefully admit and isolate a suspect for 14 days from the onset of symptoms or till the laboratory report is received, or such period as may be necessary, if suspect refuses to be isolated.

Health minister Vishwajit Rane said that the act has been invoked as a precautionary measure since there is an exponential increase in Covid-19 cases in other states.
“The act has been invoked to allow notified officials to execute their functions in a much more effective manner and take preventive measures,” Rane told reporters on Friday.
Chief minister Pramod Sawant has convened a high-level meeting on Covid-19 on Saturday to decide precautions to be taken following the Centre’s guidelines.
The meeting will also deliberate on overall action plan to be adopted by the state in view of rising Covid-19 cases, a statement by the chief minister’s office stated.
Secretary health, district collectors, director of health services, state surveillance officer, health and medical officers of community health centres, primary health centres, urban health centres in the districts and officers have been authorised officials under the Act.
‘The Goa Epidemic Disease, Covid-19 (Coronavirus disease 2019)’ regulations came into force with the invocation of the act and will remain in force for a year.
The health minister, however, said the government may withdraw application of the act if the spread of the disease is contained in the next two to three months.
The regulations necessitate — government as well as private — hospitals to have flu corners that are segregated from the common out-patient department (OPD) area for screening of suspected cases of Covid-19. The hospital should identify separate beds for isolation if the need arises.
The regulations mandate that all hospitals, private included, during screening of patients record their travel history and find out if the person had come in contact with suspected or confirmed case of Covid–19.
In case the person has any such history linked to the last 14 days, and he/she is asymptomatic then a home quarantine of 14 days is recommended from the day of exposure.
If person is found symptomatic, the person must be isolated in a hospital and tested for Covid-19. Information of such cases should be passed on to the health officers at community health centres, primary health centres and urban health centres.
A separate notification was also issued on Friday making Covid-19 disease and H1N1, as notifiable diseases.