Five-day institutional-quarantine has been made mandatory for every COVID-19 patient under home-quarantine in Delhi, Lt Governor Anil Baijal ordered on Friday.
He also ordered discontinuation 'with immediate effect' of the services of a private agency which was making telephonic contact with home-quarantined individuals to guide them.
However, at least four district magistrates said there is no clarity as yet on whether the order on institutional-quarantine also covers existing home-quarantined patients.
They said a clarity might come on Saturday during a high-level meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority, to be chaired by the LG.
"Five days institutional-quarantine of each case under home-quarantine is to be made mandatory and, thereafter, (they) will be sent for home-isolation, except in cases where symptoms require further hospitalisation," Baijal said in his order.
The Delhi government, however, is not happy with what it called is an 'arbitrary' decision, and demanded it be reconsidered by the Centre.
Also, a senior official said the decision will only serve to scare away people from getting tested.
According to the government, there are around 8,500 COVID-19 patients in home isolation in Delhi, who are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms.
Baijal further said in his order that "mandatory physical verification of each case under home quarantine is to be carried out by the surveillance teams of district surveillance officers under overall supervision of the district magistrate" in order to limit the spread of COVID-19 in view of the surge in cases.
In a statement reaction, the Delhi government said the home-isolation programme has been one of the most successful initiatives in the battle against coronavirus.
The Delhi government has treated thousands of mild and asymptomatic cases at home so far through daily monitoring and counselling, it said, adding home-isolation protocol is being carried out strictly as per ICMR guidelines and those of the Centre.
"We have been completely supportive of the central government in our collective fight against corona, but this arbitrary decision will seriously harm Delhi. They should re-consider this decision," the statement said.
Home-isolation encouraged a lot of people with minor symptoms to come out and get tested as they knew that they will not be taken to a hospital or quarantine centre forcibly, it stated.
"Today's order of the central government stopping home isolation will discourage people from testing and further spread Corona as asymptomatic and mild symptom patients will resist testing and will not be quarantined," the Delhi government added.
The entire manpower of Delhi government is already stretched, it added.
"Now, large quarantine centres would need to be made to house thousands of asymptomatic people. Thousands of patients are being treated at home at the moment. After this order, we would immediately need thousands of beds in quarantine centres," it further added.
