Violation of home isolation guidelines will lead to forcible quarantine at health hubs

PUNE: Divisional commissioner Deepak Mhaisekar on Sunday said though shopping malls in the city would remain closed following the spread of Covid-19, medicine, vegetable and grocery sections in these establishments would be allowed to operate.
He said even hostels would be allowed to remain open, provided the students adhered to the guidelines. “If any suspected patient in home isolation violates the norms, she or he will be forcibly quarantined at health institutions. Criminal offence will be filed against neighbours if they harass people in self-quarantine,” he said.

The divisional commissioner said, “The first contacts have been found to be infected. It is matter of concern for us. This has prompted us to change our strategy. Some more stringent steps will be needed to avoid the spread of coronavirus.”
Four out of five new cases were found close relatives of one of the patients and they did not have any travel history, he said. “The fifth person had gone to Thailand. He was part of a group of 93 people on that tour. All of them have been traced ,” Mhaisekar said.
“Neighbours troubling citizens isolated in homes will not be tolerated. The patients should ensure that they follow the norms. Any violation of the guidelines will lead to forceful quarantine,” he said.
An online application has been developed to keep a watch on the suspected patients. It will monitor health status. The citizens can also share data on the site.