Delhi L-G's Decision on Making Institutional Isolation Compulsory for Covid-19 Patients Rolled Back

Civil defence volunteers prepare beds inside a banquet hall used for weddings after it was temporarily converted into a makeshift quarantine facility for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in New Delhi. (Reuters)

Anil Baijal clarified that only those positive cases that do not require hospitalisation on clinical assessment and do not have adequate facilities for home isolation would be required to undergo institutional isolation.

News18.com New Delhi
Last Updated: June 20, 2020, 9:05 PM IST

A day after his order mandating five-day compulsory isolation for coronavirus-positive patients in the national capital created controversy, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Saturday withdrew it.

Baijal on Saturday evening clarified that only those positive cases that do not require hospitalisation on clinical assessment and do not have adequate facilities for home isolation would be required to undergo institutional isolation.

Regarding institutional isolation, only those COVID positive cases which do not require hospitalisation on clinical assessment & do not have adequate facilities for home isolation would be required to undergo institutional isolation.
— LG Delhi (@LtGovDelhi) June 20, 2020

Baijal's statement came following protests by the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government against his order mandating five-day isolation for all COVID-19 patients. The order had been opposed by Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia at a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Saturday.

As DDMA head, Baijal on Friday issued orders changing the quarantine protocol for coronavirus-positive patients in the city. Officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the order came after Home Minister Amit Shah told Delhi government officers at a review meeting that one way to control the surging coronavirus cases numbers is to end home isolation since it was not being implemented properly.

AAP MLA Atishi, who has tested positive for the coronavirus and is currently asymptomatic, said, "The Centre's decision of making five-day institutional quarantine compulsory for COVID-19 patients in Delhi is wrong. I am a coronavirus patient and recovering at home. Due to this five-day institutional quarantine, people will now refrain from getting tested."

At the DDMA meeting, Kejriwal said the ICMR has permitted home isolation for asymptomatic and mild symptom Covid-19 patients in the whole country, then why a separate rule was employed in case of Delhi.

Baijal's decision has also been challenged in the Delhi High Court, with petitioner Nancy Roy arguing that the order will discourage people from revealing their coronavirus-positive status and increase the risk of further spread of the infection in the national capital. The petition could be taken up for hearing next week.