With the State government allowing Keralites returning home to undergo home quarantine rather than institutional quarantine, many of those who were staying in the city Corporation’s quarantine centres returned home on Monday.
According to information from the civic body, as many as 442 people were staying in its quarantine facilities on Sunday, out of which 323 were males and 119 were female. By Monday evening, the total number across the various quarantine centres in the city had reduced to 171, with the number expected to fall further in the coming days.
“Many of them had reached these centres in the past three to four days. Out of the 38 people at the Government Women’s College here, 37 have already left. One person does not have proper facilities at home. Anyone who has a bath-attached room, can opt to go for home quarantine. Now, most of those remaining are at the quarantine centre in Mar Ivanios college,” said an official. The government had on Sunday night issued the order changing the quarantine norms, based on the recommendations of an expert committee headed by B. Ekbal, which said home quarantine could be effectively implemented with the help of the local bodies.
In the city, ward-level committees, volunteers and health staff will track the movements of those who have opted for home quarantine, ensuring that they do not move outside their rooms.
The Corporation has arranged 9,100 rooms across 330 buildings for Non-resident Keralites.