COVID-19: Asymptomatic people in Pune to be home quarantined

Pune, Apr 29 () Asymptomatic individuals testingpositive for coronavirus in Pune will now be kept in homequarantine instead of a facility, the city civic body said onWednesday as it released a new set of isolation rules forsuspected and positive patients.

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has revised thequarantine and isolation rules for suspected and positivecoronavirus patients on advice of the central government.

As per the new rules, if a person tests positive, butis asymptomatic (not showing signs of the disease), he or shewill not be kept at an isolation facility.

Instead, the person can isolate himself or herself athome by giving an undertaking that he or she will not violatequarantine rules devised by authorities.

"We have received new guidelines that if there areasymptomatic positive patients, keep them at home. So fromtomorrow (April 30), as per the revised protocols, we willbring fewer people to isolation facilities," said civiccommissioner Shekhar Gaikwad.

Similarly, he said, suspected coronavirus patients,whose test reports are awaited, will also not be taken to anyinstitutional quarantine centre.

Instead, they will be asked to quarantine themselvesat home and take precautions, Gaikwad said.

"Only thing is that all these people (asymptomaticindividuals) will have to give a certain undertaking that theyare aware that they are positive and will take precautions andwill not violate the rules and will stay isolated orquarantined," he added.

The civic chief said the central government issued thefresh guidelines after several states complained that theirenergy was being expended in handling lodging and logisticalissues related to asymptomatic individuals and coronavirussuspects.

"Since there is no treatment and body immunity is theonly solution, persons with no symptoms can be isolated athome," he added. SPKRSY RSY