Echoeing sentiments of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party, the RWAs said a “large majority would avoid testing” due to the “fear of being taken away and separated from the family”. Expresss Photo By Amit Mehra
Representatives of 25 Resident Welfare Associations (RWA) in the city Saturday wrote to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal to “re-examine” the order passed Friday making five-day institutional quarantine mandatory for Covid-19 patients.
They have urged that those who are able to self-isolate at home be allowed to do so, and local community centres be arranged for the rest.
The representatives of RWAs such as Sarvodaya Enclave, Saket L Block, Defence Colony, Vasant Kunj, NavjiwanVihar, Green Park, Nizamuddin East, Vasant Vihar and Mehrauli etc. have said that the order needed to be examined on various grounds.
“Asymptomatic cases would increase the load further on already overburdened government machinery. It will be impossible to handle the cases in coming times, considering the 5.5 lakhs projected number of active cases in July,” they wrote.
“The infrastructure and resources (beds, health workers, doctors, support staff etc) will not be enough to handle such a huge load both real time and projected. The resources should be utilized for managing sick patients. The sick patients who genuinely require hospitalization will suffer due to the shift of focus of administration in handling the rest of asymptomatic/mildly symptomatic cases,” the representatives added.
Explained: Why is the Delhi government opposing the new guidelines against home isolation?
Delhi L-G Anil Baijal Friday issued an order making five days of institutional quarantine “mandatory” for “each case under home quarantine”, while striking down a Delhi government contract with a private home healthcare company for remote monitoring of patients under home isolation.
Echoeing sentiments of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party, the RWAs said a “large majority would avoid testing” due to the “fear of being taken away and separated from the family”.
“How will female patients, children, people with disabilities and senior citizens who are vulnerable be sent without their families? They can be subject to exploitative and criminal behaviours in these circumstances. Who will take the responsibility? If families who are negative, are allowed, it will further add to the burden and will also expose the negative members to the risk of contracting infection. Women and young girls can be prey to molestation and sexual exploitation,” they said.
The RWA representatives also argued that “asymptomatic patients will be at risk of contracting other non-COVID communicable diseases from others” and “conditions of hygiene in such facilities with large numbers will definitely be compromised”.
“Positive cases where they have the facility to be in home isolation, will recuperate faster since they will be in familiar surroundings. Majority of patients will still be infective after five days,” they wrote.
“Where space for isolation is possible, people should be allowed to stay at home. Where it is not possible, local community centers should be utilized to make them into practical isolation centers close to home with community stakeholders,” the representatives added.
Meanwhile, the Delhi government termed the order as “arbitrary”, and said it will “seriously harm” people. It said the new policy would discourage people from getting tested and further strain the city’s already overstretched medical infrastructure and health workers.
“After this order, we would immediately need thousands of beds in quarantine centres. We have been completely supportive of the Central government in our collective fight against corona, but this arbitrary decision will seriously harm Delhi. They should re-consider,” a Delhi government spokesperson said.