THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Starting Friday, people under institutional quarantine in the district have started leaving for houses or a dwelling of their choice if the building meets the specifics provided by the district administration, including facility for room quarantine. They are now being moved irrespective of the days they have spent in quarantine. This will be applicable to new returnees too even if they are arriving in international flights.
An order issued by the district administration allows the movement in the wake of the state’s decision to notify the residential facilities or dwelling units identified and approved by the district administration or local self-government bodies as institutional quarantine facilities. Since most of the quarantine centres are educational institutions, the order is aimed at clearing the education institutions in the district which function as quarantine facilities by the last week of the month to start the two-level disinfection process before classes for the next academic year commences.
This move to shift people to their homes also paves way for making use of generous offers from people across the district who have offered their houses to be used as quarantine facilities.“We have already sent a list of people under quarantine to the local bodies for response from respective local bodies about the viability of their houses,” said Anu S Nair, deputy collector.The practice of checking the dwellings before giving them approval has already begun in the case of people arriving in domestic flights, trains and through the borders.
However, as per the new order the regulations for approving a house as quarantine facility has been made stringent which now gives these houses the merit of an institutional quarantine centre should they get approval.“At the panchayat level it is an easy task since we have very few people under quarantine at the institutions and we have ward committees in all the wards which should make the inspection quick. It might take some time in the city corporation, but it can be done,” said the deputy collector.
The officer in charge of institutional quarantine facility has to ensure that this movement is informed to the medical officer of the PHC concerned and secretary of the local self-government body concerned.
The medical officer should initiate proceedings to monitor such persons and it should be mapped on the Covid-19 Jagratha portal for monitoring. He should also ensure that those in such facilities are under the constant watch of the ground teams and their daily health updates are entered in Covid-19 Jagratha portal.
“While initially it will take some effort, in the long run this decision will move the burden a bit from the city corporation. We will need more people at the field level. A few people have been shifted from our quarantine facilities on Friday,” said Anoop Roy, health inspector, Thiruvananthapuram city Corporation.