The reports of people removing home quarantine stickers pasted on their homes in Nanjangud, a ‘red zone’ area for COVID-19 in view of multiple positive cases, and complaints of denial of essential supplies to the primary contacts of those tested positive to the contagion have surfaced in Mysuru district.
Taking a serious view of the cases, the district administration and the district police have issued a strong warning against such acts and warned of booking criminal cases against the violators.
“This is the last warning. If we come across home quarantine stickers being removed from homes, such persons will be booked straightaway for flouting the rules, including under the Epidemic Disease Act. The sticker is meant for public health safety," said Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G. Sankar on Monday.
Mr. Sankar said he had received many complaints of home quarantine stickers pasted by the Health Department being removed in Nanjangud. In some cases, the stickers were removed, pasted again and taken out yet again. Such acts are inexcusable and the health workers posted in the town had been asked to book cases.
“The stickers don’t attract any stigma. The step had been taken as a safety precaution which should be complied with strictly. Nobody is authorised to remove stickers. The right rests only with the Health Department,” he said.
As many as 1,334 persons are in home quarantine and most of them were the employees of the pharmaceutical company in Nanjangud and their primary contacts (family members and relatives). The total number of positive cases in Mysuru rose from 28 to 35 with seven confirmed cases reported on Monday.
Superintendent of Police C.B. Ryshyanth said the police had received complaints of discrimination against those placed in home quarantine and denial of essentials such as milk, ration, and vegetables to them in Bannur town of T Narsipur taluk. Such acts will attract legal proceedings since it’s an offence under the law, he warned.
The SP, who had been to Bannur on Monday and appealed to the public not to show prejudice against anybody or any community, said the primary contacts of some COVID-19 positive cases had been placed in home quarantine as a precaution and they should not be misunderstood as ‘positive’ cases. All novel Coronavirus positive cases had been isolated in the COVID-19 hospital in Mysuru and there is no need to panic, he added.
Mr. Sankar and Mr. Ryshyanth urged the participants of Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin from Mysuru district to report for screening and quarantine since some of the participants had already tested positive to the virus.