NEW DELHI:  Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and the AAP government were headed for a collision after the Raj Niwas passed an order making five-day institutional quarantine mandatory for anybody showing Covid symptoms.   Baijal, in the process, also cancelled the Delhi government’s home quarantine order for Covid positive patients. 

“Five days institutional quarantine of each case under home-quarantine is to be made mandatory and, thereafter, (they) will be sent for home-isolation, except in cases where symptoms require further hospitalization,” Baijal  said in his order.

Sources in the MHA said that Home Minister Amit Shah made the suggestion to the Delhi CM on Thursday while discussing  the COVID-19 situation in Delhi. The Delhi government was told that home isolation not advisable as many patients live in small houses with shared facilities, they said. 

A miffed Delhi government questioned the “arbitrary decision” of the Centre and asked it to re-consider the decision.  The decision will only serve to scare away people from getting tested, a Delhi official contended. 

According to the Delhi government, there are around 8,500 Covid patients in home isolation in Delhi, who are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms. Delhi has the third highest number of covid cases in India with approximately 27,000 active cases. 

“We have been completely supportive of the central government, but this arbitrary decision will seriously harm Delhi. They should re-consider this decision. ... Today’s order will discourage people from testing and further spread Corona as asymptomatic and mild symptom patients will resist testing and will not be quarantined,” the Delhi government said in a statement. 

Centre and Kejriwal govt differ on home quarantine

The Kejriwal government also highlighted that the hospitals are already stretched due to the high number of cases. “There is already a serious shortage of doctors and nurses to treat serious patients. Where would medical manpower come for taking care of these quarantine centres? Entire manpower is already stretched. Now, large quarantine centres would need to be made,” itsaid.

However, a letter written by the Union Health Ministry to states on Friday provided context to why the Centre proposed mandatory institutional quarantine for all Covid  positive patients. The letter sent by Lav Agarwal, joint secretary in the ministry to state principal secretaries (health), said that home isolation in congested slum areas was leading to spread of disease within families and neighbours. 

The letter further underlined that the doctors have to satisfy themselves that the patient opting for home isolation has only mild symptoms or pre-symptomatic, follows all prerequisites and their residential accommodation allows for necessary physical distancing from other family members.

Highest single-day spike in capital
Delhi reports the highest single-day spike of 2,877 positive cases; 65 deaths recorded in the last 24 hours. The total number of cases stands at 49,979 including 21,341 recovered and 1,969 deaths