Chandigarh: No tracing for workplace contacts of PGIMER’s health workers

The institute is facing an acute workforce crunch 450 Covid-19 patients currently being treated, while around 1,000 patients are admitted for other ailments.

The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) has revised its quarantine policy for health-care workers under which no contact tracing will be conducted for workplace contacts, who will continue to perform duties if they do not exhibit any symptoms.

In the last 40 days, around 600 health workers at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, have been found infected, while close to 1,300 have recovered from the infection since the pandemic began. (HT File Photo)

The institute is facing an acute workforce crunch with around 450 Covid-19 patients currently being treated, while around 1,000 patients are admitted for other ailments.

The institute has already closed the physical out-patient department (OPD) and stopped conducting scheduled surgeries to divert more health workers to emergency and Covid duties.

In the last 40 days, around 600 health workers in the institute have been found infected while close to 1,300 have recovered from the infection since the pandemic began.

“There will be no risk assessment and contact tracing of workplace contacts of Covid-19 positive health-care workers. All workplace contacts who are asymptomatic will be continuing their duties following all measures, and will be tested only if they develop symptoms. Symptomatic workplace contacts will be tested and will follow isolation guidelines if they test positive ,” the new guidelines state.

The health workers have been asked to report immediately to their area administrative in-charge if they develop fever, cough, loss of taste/smell, breathlessness, or any other Covid-related symptom. Administrative in-charge should arrange for testing of symptomatic persons at the earliest, and till the test report arrives, the symptomatic health worker should be refrained from doing any work in the hospital and they can join back if they test negative or can avail medical leave or casual leave/earned leave if they need rest.

Quarantine, isolation scenarios

Health-care workers who are household contacts of Covid-19 positive patients will be asked to quarantine for 7 days starting from the last day of exposure. They will be tested on Day 7 if they are asymptomatic or earlier in case they develop symptoms. They will be back on duty after Day 7 with a negative report.

Health workers with mild illness will be put under home isolation for 10 days from the day of testing, irrespective of the date of onset of symptoms. They can join back on Day 11 provided they are asymptomatic and afebrile for 24 hours without antipyretics. If the health worker remains symptomatic, they should inform their administrative head.