Delhi’s home quarantine norms not applicable in Ghaziabad, says DM

The Ghaziabad district magistrate (DM) on Thursday ordered the district chief medical officer (CMO) to trace those Covid-19 patients discharged from private hospitals

The Ghaziabad district magistrate (DM) on Thursday ordered the district chief medical officer (CMO) to trace those Covid-19 patients discharged from private hospitals in Delhi but were quarantining themselves in their homes in Ghaziabad.

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Issuing the order, DM Ajay Sankar Pandey said such patients ought to be admitted to the Covid-19 facilities in the district.

“We have come to know that asymptomatic patients get discharge slips from private hospitals in Delhi and are staying in home quarantine in Ghaziabad. This facility is available in Delhi but not in Ghaziabad which is part of Uttar Pradesh (UP). So, I have asked the CMO to track such patients and get them admitted in our Covid-19 hospitals. Such patients are a potential risk to others. Home quarantine of asymptomatic patients is not allowed in UP,” said Pandey. “If such patients follow Delhi norms, they should make arrangements for their stay in Delhi where such guidelines are applicable. They must also disclose if they are staying at home in Ghaziabad. If they fail to respond and we track them, legal action will be initiated.”

Health department officials said that they did not currently have any data on such patients in home quarantine in Ghaziabad.

According to Union ministry of health guidelines, those who have been clinically assigned as very mild/pre-symptomatic patients, may follow home isolation provided they have the facility for self-isolation and quarantining family contacts, inform the district surveillance officer of their health status and agree to an undertaking for self isolation. The ministry also prescribes a number of rules for caregivers of such patients.

“The state government has not issued any guidelines in this regard. If any patient is found Covid-19 positive, he/she will have to get admitted to a Covid hospital. This is applicable in cases even if the patient is asymptomatic. On Wednesday we came to know from RWA members in Vaishali that an old aged man who is positive was staying at home for past eight days. So we got him admitted to our Covid hospital despite resistance by his family members,” said Dr NK Gupta, chief medical officer.

The DM also directed the stricter implementation of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) norms and directed officials that test reports from private laboratories should be streamlined.

“We have found instances where patients come to know of the reports before the health department. There are instances where test reports of private laboratories are positive but turn negative when tested through government labs. In more instances, we come to know of positive patient only through local residents and there is no information given to health department. I have called for strict implementation of guidelines otherwise action will be initiated,” Pandey said.

Paramount Symphony sealing

Nearly a week after a 43-year-old resident of Paramount Symphony, a high rise in Crossings Republik, was found to be Covid-19 positive on June 4, sealing action remained pending on Thursday.

The magistrate had issued and pasted the sealing order on June 7. But the officials found themselves in a fix after they were informed that the patient was not there. The present sealing guidelines remain silent on what to do if the patient had left the society before the medical report is declared positive. However, the society is mentioned under category 1 containment zone in an order passed on June 9 and qualifies a tower that had the case to be sealed.

“We were told by residents that the patient had not been in his flat since May 30 or 31. Later, we received a list from the health department of the areas which were to be sealed and the name of the highrise was not there. So we sought clarification from the district malaria officer (DMO) who is in-charge of deciding on the areas to be sealed, but there has been no response as of now. Hence, proceedings are pending,” said Prashant Tiwari, the sub divisional magistrate who is in-charge of sealing activities in Crossings Republik.

DMO GK Mishra said that he had information that the patient had left the high rise even before his test returned positive from a private laboratory.

“His family also left the flat. This is why we were not inclined to seal the tower. But we have no specific guidelines on how many days after a patient leaves his house should the area be sealed. It is then left to the judicious decision of the magistrate. In order to authenticate whether the patient was present in his flat or not, help from police surveillance will be taken up,” he added.

“In case the patient was present in his flat during the time his positive report came, we will take legal action against residents and even lodge an FIR for misleading officials during the work,” said Tiwari.

The highrise has about 1100 flats and the resident who tested positive was a contact of a positive patient.

Kshitij Singhal, one of the residents of the tower, said that residents came to know about the patient only on June 7.

“When we called him he told that he has left his flat so that no other family member of his family catches the infection. It is now up to the administration to take a call,” he added.