Bhubaneswar: Odisha government today informed that as per the guidelines issued by the Health ministry, it has decided to allow home isolation of mild /asymptomatic COVID-19 positive patients.
Informing about the decision, additional chief secretary Pradipta Mohapatra said, “Odisha has decided to implement the revised discharge and home isolation guidelines with some changes. If we discharge them from hospitals, the space in hospitals can be used for new cases.”
Mohapatra further stated that persons, who will test positive for COVID-19 and have mild symptoms or asymptomatic, will be permitted for go for home isolation but under strict medical surveillance. But the facility will not be extended to COVD-19 patients if they have critical symptoms, rather they will be sent to COVID19 hospitals.
Those who will be sent for home isolation, they will be stamped with indelible ink and asked wear a wrist band while a sticker will be pasted on the concerned person's house for identification.
“The only condition on which a COVID-19 patient will be allowed for home isolation is that they need to have a separate room and a toilet. Even though Centre has asked to implement these guidelines across India, we will only allow home isolation in urban areas as of now,” said Mohapatra.
As per the Centre’s guidelines on discharge policy, a COVID-19 patient (For mild/very mild/pre-symptomatic cases) can be discharged after 10 days of symptom onset and no fever for 3 days. However, Odisha has decided to implement it with modifications by extending the home quarantine of discharged patients to 14 days from 7 days.
“In Odisha, a COVID-19 patient, who will be discharged from hospital, will have to remain in home isolation for 14 days. Such persons will be stamped and given a wrist band. They cannot move out of their respective homes and a quarantine sticker will be put up at their houses. If a COVID-19 patient doesn’t have a provision of separate room and toilet, they will be kept in institutional quarantine centres till they are completely cured.”