Himachal CM says those coming from red zones would be kept in institutional quarantine first

SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur has directed the deputy commissioners to maintain proper coordination with elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions and urban local bodies by providing them advance information regarding returning of people from other parts of country to their native places under their jurisdiction.
He said that all those returning from red zone areas should be kept under institutional quarantine and only after testing for COVID-19, after five-seven days, they should be shifted to home quarantine provided they are found negative.
Jai Ram Thakur, while holding video conferencing with the deputy commissioners, superintendents of police and chief medical officers of the state, said that persons coming from orange and green zones should be kept under home quarantine and should be randomly tested. “A foolproof mechanism needs to be developed for home quarantine as a single laxity could prove damaging,” he said, adding that violation of home quarantine norms should be dealt firmly.
He said that the ‘Nigah’ team along with ASHA workers and other health workers must reach out to such families in advance and sensitize them to ensure proper isolation and social distancing of the arriving persons. He said it must also be ensured that the house have adequate accommodation for maintaining social distancing besides having separate washroom for the arriving persons under home quarantine. He said that if such facility was not available, panchayats should come forward to provide arrangements for their stay by adopting proper quarantine protocol.
He said that since developmental works have now gradually started in the State, therefore, it must be ensured that workers of PWD, Jal Shakti, Rural Development Departments and MNREGA must be allowed to work even beyond relaxation in curfew hours so that adequate time could be given for time bound completion of various developmental works.
He said that similarly bankers are also required to work for full office hours especially after the Rs 20 lakh crore economic package announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Therefore, they should also be allowed free movement during the curfew hours, he added.