Covid-19: Chandigarh notifies regulations under Epidemic Act

UT admin has called for establishing flu screening corners in all private and public hospitals

The UT administration has notified regulations for the epidemic Covid-19 in the wake of the virus outbreak which has been declared as a pandemic by WHO. So far, there are no positive case of the infection in the city.

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The regulations call for establishing flu screening corners in all private and public hospitals of the city to screen suspected patients. Under this act, authorities are authorised to admit and isolate a person if required in case he/she has a history of travel to an area where Covid-19 is endemic and if the concerned person is symptomatic.

“If a suspected case of Covid-19 refuses admission or isolation, the officers authorised in Section 3 of these regulations will have powers to forcefully admit and isolate such persons for a period of 14 days from the onset of symptoms or till reports of lab tests are received, or for a period as deemed necessary,” the regulations state.

Under the act, the persons authorised are director of health and family welfare, director-principal of Government Medical College and Hospital in Sector 32, deputy commissioner, SDMs (Central, East and South), senior medical officers, as well as officers authorised by the department of health and family welfare, Chandigarh administration.

The regulations state that if Covid-19 cases are reported from a defined geographical area such as a sector, village, ward, colony, the Chandigarh administration will have the right to implement containment measures for sealing off the geographical area, barring entry and exit of population from the containment area, closure of schools and offices, banning public gatherings, banning vehicular movement in the area, initiating active and passive surveillance of Covid-19 cases and hospital isolation of all suspected cases.

Similarly, no private lab has been authorised to take or test samples for Covid-19 in Chandigarh.

All such samples will be collected as per guidelines of the Government of India and will be sent to designated labs by the nodal officer of the designated hospital of department of health and family welfare, Chandigarh administration.