Rajasthan: Bharatpur shifts Covid patients at home back to govt facilities

JAIPUR: The Bharatpur district administration has shifted all 350 asymptomatic Covid-19 patients in home quarantine to institutional facilities after the infected persons failed to follow quarantine protocol. The earlier decision to let asymptomatic patients be in self-quarantine at home was reversed after the move backfired, with patients failing to comply with quarantine norms, leading to a sudden spike in new cases.
Many of them were found to be flouting ICMR norms of home quarantine. This raised concern for the health department in Bharatpur, which held these patients responsible for the sudden rise in the number of Covid cases in the area.

Despite signing an undertaking that they would remain indoors and adhere to the self-quarantine protocol, some of them were seen at ATMs and markets. Many had also infected their family members.
“Till May 27, there were only 150 Covid cases in Bharatpur. But, after that, there was an outbreak in the vegetable and grain mandis compounded by the increased number of migrants testing positive for the virus. Over the next 20 days, cases increased to 1,400 due to intense contact tracing, screening and testing. Since, 95% of the patients were asymptomatic, we allowed home quarantine for 350 such confirmed Covid cases. They had given an undertaking that they would adhere to home quarantine protocol. We were regularly monitoring their activities and movement and found many of them were flouting norms. Also, other family members were found to be infected with the virus,” Bharatpur collector Nathmal Didel told TOI.
Home isolation rule ‘exploited’
The decision by the district administration and health department to let asymptomatic patients recover in the comfort of their homes was 'exploited' by some of the patients, said officials.
When they noticed that home quarantine could further worsen the situation, the district administration swung into action and immediately shifted all the asymptomatic patients to institutional quarantine facilities. “At this point, there is not a single Covid -patient in home quarantine in Bharatpur. All of them have been shifted to a hostel and college. While many of them recovered, we have 110 asymptomatic patients in institutional quarantine facility, with 56 symptomatic patients undergoing treatment at the district hospital in Bharatpur,” said Didel. Bharatpur has reported the third highest number of Covid cases in the state at 1,522, below Jaipur (3,249) and Jodhpur (2,645).