Mumbai: Coronavirus-infected patients are kept in a detachment room, under the care of doctors to increase their resistance. But, those stamped for home-quarantine, have been found travelling by train and incidents of their de-boarding.
Now onwards, people stamped home-quarantined will be monitored closely and dound disobeying the doctors and violating the quarantine order, the BMC, with the help of the police, will put them into institutional quarantine. This will be after being tracked by the global positioning system (GPS) activated in cellphones
“The BMC has set up a team in each of the 24 wards for continues health updates. With the help of local police, they will be kept under a close watch. If found stepping out of their homes, they will be put under institutional quarantine.
The BMC is taking several measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in our city. The travellers arriving from foreign countries are screened at the airport and are being sent to the Kasturba hospital or isolation centre or home-quarantine, according to their health condition.
Thermal screening of overseas passengers by civic doctors, medical officers of the state government and Mumbai airport administration is being conducted. Municipal health teams have been overseeing the screening at the airport and other important hotspots, and citizens are expected to co-operate with the authorities as a social responsibility, said a civic official.
To monitor passengers coming from the corona-hit countries (C category), the authorities are advising them home quarantine. Tests are also been conducted at King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital, apart from Kasturba Hospital.
Kasturba hospital has increased its capacity from 100 beds to 128 isolation beds and diagnosis capacity of 250 patients daily.
For the past few days, the BMC officials are under stress with the challenge of tracing new cases with a travel history and also those are getting affected due to the coming in contact with the affected people.
Despite instructions to C category travellers to remain under home quarantined, they overlook prescriptions and risk the spread and put others’ life at stake.
People not obeying the instruction and stepping out of their houses will only lead to a rise in developing positive symptoms and the spread of the pandemic disease.
“Recently people with quarantine tag on their back palm were seen in local train and long distance trains after which the BMC commissioner met the Mumbai police commissioner to devise ways to contain and prevent and the disease by taking action against them,” said a senior BMC official.
Against this backdrop, the BMC, with the help of the Mumbai police, will track the movement of the travellers advised home quarantine, using the mobile global position system.
After several cases of violations of 14-day home-quarantine, the authorities, in a meeting on Thursday, decided to trace them. If they deliberately switch off their cellmobile or use alternative number, they will face action.
A team of police and BMC officials will visit their place. And, if the same violation is repeated, the authorities will put the violator in 14-day institutional quarantine.
Till Friday evening, in Mumbai up to 1,500 people were advised home quarantine. Stressing that home-quarantined people should avoid public transport and travel by private vehicles, BMC executive health director Padmaja Keskar said such persons are expected to act “responsibly” and avoid contact with people outside.
“Now quarantine is legally mandatory. We will take action to Section 188, IPC. Also people found breaking the rules, stepping out of their home and travelling will be sent to institunal quarantine at Seven Hills hospitals,” said Praveen Pardeshi, the BMC chief.
