CHENNAI: Here on, the police personnel will be engaged to ensure that persons under home quarantine stay indoors and don’t pose the risk of transmission to others, Chennai city police commissioner AK Viswanathan told Express.“A special team, headed by a senior police officer, with protection gear, will assist the health staff while checking on people under home quarantine. In case the patients are found to be outside their homes, they will be brought back and the police will monitor them every day,” Viswanathan said.
Over the last five days, total number of people within the city limits who have been placed under home quarantine has risen from 1,890 to 3,692 as on Monday, according to data released by the city corporation.“It’s a time of emergency and it has to be taken in the right spirit,” said Corporation Commissioner G Prakash.
The commissioner also warned that any private hospital, irrespective of its capacity, will be ‘severely dealt with’ if found not having adequate spraying equipment to disinfect their premises.All private hospitals are to be inspected by senior corporation officials from Monday, and major government and private hospitals would be inspected by the commissioner himself.
Stickers on houses
To ensure social distancing and to alert others to the presence of those under quarantine, the corporation is to put up green stickers outside their houses. The stickers say ‘COVID-19/ DO NOT VISIT/ HOME UNDER QUARANTINE’ and will also carry details such as the name of the person, address and the number of persons under quarantine in the residence. It also mentions when the quarantine is scheduled to end.
“We have asked the personnel to voluntarily stay away from home so they do not infect their family. If the personnel wants to stay at home, their family will be regularly checked at hospitals,” said a senior police officer.