Coronavirus impact: Health Ministry issues home quarantine guidelines

The Minsitry of Health and Family Welfare has released guidelines for persons who have to undergo home quarantine. Earlier, the health ministry had advised any person who has come in contact with any confirmed coronavirus patient or has recently returned from a foreign visit to practice home quarantine for at least 14 days.

"Home quarantine is applicable to all such contacts of a suspect or confirmed case of COVID-19," says the guideline issued by the Health Ministry. The guideline defines a 'Contact', the person who the guidelines have been issued for.

Who is a 'Contact'?

The guidelines define the 'Contact' as "a healthy person that has been in such association with an infected person or a contaminated environment as to have exposed and is therefore at a higher risk of developing disease".

The guidelines further say that a 'contact' could be someone who lives in close proximity with the infected person. A 'contact' is also a person who has come in direct physical contact with a coronavirus positive person.

The guidelines clearly state that every person who falls under the definition of a 'contact' must exercise home quarantine for at least 14 days. 

Instructions for contacts being home quarantined

The guidelines describe a list of things that a 'contact' should do while practicing home quarantine. The guidelines advise that the person should stay in a well-ventilated single-room preferably with an attached toilet. If a family member wishes to stay in the room then they must maintain at least one-meter distance from the person being quarantined.

The guidelines say that a 'contact' should:

•     Stay away from elderly people, pregnant women, children and persons with co-morbidities within the household.
•     Restrict his/her movement within the house.
•     Under no circumstances attend any social/religious gathering e.g. wedding, condolences, etc.

The guidelines also say that the 'contact' should practice hygiene like washing hands with soap and wearing a surgical mask at all times. "If symptoms appear (cough/fever/difficulty in breathing), he/she should immediately inform the nearest health centre or call 011-23978046," says the guideline.

Instruction for family members of a person being home quarantined

The guidelines give out special instructions for the family members of the person being quarantined since they are likely to be in close proximity with the infected person and run the risk of getting the virus themselves. The guidelines say:

•     Only an assigned family member should be tasked with taking care of the infected individual
•     Avoid direct contact
•     Use disposable gloves when cleaning the surfaces or handling soiled linen
•     Wash hands after removing gloves
•     Visitors should not be allowed
•     In case the person being quarantined becomes symptomatic, all his close contacts will be home quarantined (for 14 days) and followed up for an additional 14 days or till the report of such case turns out negative on lab testing

The guideline lays particular emphasis on maintaining environmental sanitation as a means to halt the spread of the deadly virus. "Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces in the quarantined person's room (e.g. bed frames, tables etc.) daily with 1%Sodium Hypochlorite Solution," says the guideline.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases rose to 125 on Tuesday after new cases were discovered in Noida. Across the world, around 180,00 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed. Over 7,000 lives have already been lost due to the deadly virus.

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