Govt marks houses of those in quarantine

NEWDELHI: Stepping up measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus infection, the Delhi government has begun marking residences where one or more people have been asked to stay in home quarantine. For this, officials are using red and green stickers with a warning: “Please do not visit. Home under quarantine.”

Revenue officials said the department pasted stickers on at least 400 houses till Sunday noon. The Delhi government started the drive Saturday evening in the central and north-west districts covering neighbourhoods of Civil Lines, Ashok Vihar, Saraswati Vihar and Karol Bagh.

There are 10,475 people under home quarantine in Delhi at the moment, as per the state health department.

People who are viewed to be potential carriers of the disease due to their travel abroad or likely contact with patients but who do not show symptoms are asked to quarantine themselves at home for 14 days.

Patients testing positive for the fast-spreading infection with flulike symptoms have to undergo treatment at government-run isolation wards. Delhi has so far recorded 24 positive Covid-19 cases with one death.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal urged residents on Sunday not to stigmatise families under quarantine.

“Delhi government is marking all homes that have persons advised to home quarantine. I appeal to all not to stigmatise such families. Please be empathetic and supportive of them. The marking is aimed only at cautioning others for their own safety,” he tweeted.

The drive is being carried out in addition to the hand-stamping process at the capital’s Indira Gandhi International airport, where flyers from other countries have to undergo the process since March 19 and stay in 14-day mandatory home quarantine even if they don’t show symptoms of the disease. India has cancelled all international flights for a week beginning Sunday.

New Delhi district magistrate Tanvi Garg said, “But others need a lot of convincing. Many people tell our officials they feel all right, and refuse to self-quarantine.

A sub-divisional magistrate in north-west Delhi said there have been two instances where a neighbour (in one case) and a Residents’ Welfare Association (in the other) informed the administration of persons under quarantine venturing out of their homes.

The Delhi government had issued an advisory asking RWAS in the city to raise alarms if they spot any person, supposed to be quarantined, “roaming openly”.