No institutional quarantine for Maharashtra returnees: Sriramulu

Health Minister B Sriramulu on Tuesday said that Maharashtra returnees will not be subjected to institutional quarantine henceforth and will be directly sent to 14 days of home quarantine. 
Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu
Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu

UDUPI: Health Minister B Sriramulu on Tuesday said that Maharashtra returnees will not be subjected to institutional quarantine henceforth and will be directly sent to 14 days of home quarantine. Residences of Maharashtra returnees on quarantine will be sealed and strict action will be initiated against those violating the norms. In the case of apartments, only the flat concerned will be sealed, he clarified. 

For people returning from other states, it is seven days of home quarantine, but their houses will not be sealed during quarantine. If people who have returned from Maharashtra or any other states develop symptoms during their quarantine period, their swab samples will be collected for testing. If it returns positive, then they will be shifted to the designated hospital and the areas concerned will be declared containment zones. 

A few days ago, Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar had said that the government is planning to do away with institutional quarantine for even Maharashtra returnees as hotels, schools and hostels can’t be quarantine facilities for long if normalcy has to return.

Former health minister UT Khader criticised the government’s move to do away with institutional quarantine for Maharashtra returnees. He told reporters in Mangaluru that the move will lead to frictions as neighbours will object to such an arrangement.

He said that in the Mangaluru assembly constituency, which he represents, seven days of institutional quarantine will continue for all returning from other states. He said seven days of institutional quarantine should be made mandatory for Maharashtra returnees at least in Daskhina Kannada given the huge influx.

Relaxation only in 3 dists: Top official
Bosky Khanna @Bengaluru: Soon after Health Minister B Sriramulu announced that those coming from Maharashtra will not be sent to institutional quarantine, health department officials said that they cannot go against Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, and the minister’s statement is applicable for only some districts.

Additional Chief Secretary, Health Department, Jawaid Akhtar, told TNIE that the relaxation is only in Udupi, Mangaluru and Hassan as respective deputy commissioners had sought permission to put Maharashtra returnees under home quarantine as no proper facilities were available.

The DCs have been given the freedom to take decisions on whether a person should be sent to home or institutional quarantine, or whether the period should be seven or 14 days, based on each case and facilities available. The health minister’s statement had led to a lot of confusion among health department officials. They have now requested the government to issue the final order. 

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