India / UP govt to allow asymptomatic COVID-19 patients to home quarantine

Lucknow: Stressing that a large number of asymptomatic coronavirus COVID-19 patients are still hiding their infection, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday directed officials to allow home quarantine only if all protocols related to the disease are followed. The CM said that home quarantine permission should be given only on compliance of the already set protocol for it.

Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, CM Adityanath said, "It will be mandatory for the patient and his family to follow the protocol of home isolation. Although the state government has a sufficient number of COVID-19 beds in COVID-19 hospital." He added that individuals found to be suspicious of coronavirus should be examined by rapid antigen test.

Fearing that there may be a spurt in cases as a large number of people are hiding their infection, the CM said it will be essential that the patient and his family complies with the protocol. "A large number of people infected with the symptoms of COVID-19 are hiding the disease, which can there be an increase in infection. In view of this, the state government will allow home isolation with conditions subject to a prescribed protocol."

Lauding the door-to-door survey and medical screening being conducted in the state, he said it was helping in identifying the infected people and stressed on rapid antigen tests of all suspected persons. He asked for holding a meeting with the IMA and nurses' association office-bearers at the district level for further strengthening the medical facilities.

The chief minister asked the health and medical education department to take effective steps for bringing the death rate to the lowest levels. "Health department and education department should take effective action to bring down the death rate due to COVID-19. Contact tracing should be done in each case to control the infection," he added.

He has directed the Health Department and Medical Education Department to send a special team of doctors to Lucknow, Kanpur Nagar, Basti, Prayagraj, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Ballia, Jhansi, Moradabad and Varanasi districts. Nodal officers of these districts will also be with the team.

Besides, he said people should be apprised of the necessary precautions for which an awareness campaign should also be launched with the help of the print, electronic and social media. He said the use of masks and social distancing norms should be strictly followed.

Stressing that better immunity was important for checking the infection, he said people should be made aware of it and encouraged to download Arogya Setu Ayush Kavach COVID app.