Covid-19: Dakshina Kannada tops Karnataka in use of 'Quarantine Watch'

MANGALURU: Quarantine Watch, an in-house app developed by Karnataka’s Covid-19 war room that IAS officer Munish Moudgil heads, has helped district administrations keep tabs on primary and secondary contacts of Covid-19 patients in their respective districts.
Mastering its use has helped Dakshina Kannada district keep strict tabs on the primary and secondary contacts and act on any violation of home quarantine breach, warn violators and file FIRs against repeat offenders.
Against 85 FIRs filed for home quarantine breach on August 5 as per data furnished by state Covid-19 war room, DK in a matter of five-days since then increased this to 164. FIRs lodged with people sent to institutional quarantine as a result for every 1000 breach reports is now close to 90% and DK stands first in Karnataka, noted Dr K V Rajendra, DC. At 85 FIRs, DK was languishing in fourth position out of eight districts in Mysuru division.
Dr Rajendra told TOI that the state Covid-19 war room came up with the Quarantine Watch to help the health authorities not just detect Covid-19 cases, but also track people placed under home quarantine. People in home isolation are required to practice the millennial way to check their presence in an area they are required to be using selfies through the ‘Quarantine Watch’ app, he said, adding this is remotely monitored for violation or breach.
In rural areas, village accountants or PDOs vested with responsibility of monitoring people in home quarantine take selfies with those quarantined at their respective place of quarantine. “We have roped in neighbours and responsible citizens in the area to help with quarantine watch. While first two breaches end with warning, subsequent breach sees a FIR registered against the violator who then is sent to institutional quarantine,” DC said.