To control the spread of COVID-19 , the Department of Health and Family Welfare has issued certain protocols for inter-state travellers. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has now issued a detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to be followed, based on the protocols.
According to an order issued by civic chief B.H. Anil Kumar on Saturday, health screening of all persons at entry level by the designated teams deployed is mandatory, as is self-registration on Seva Sindhu portal by travellers. The details must include name, complete address with pincode, correct mobile number, and ward number, as far as possible.
The order also states the different categories of travellers who have to be home quarantined. Special category of asymptomatic persons may be exempted from institutional quarantine on arrival, such as those travelling in case of death in the family, pregnant women, children aged below 10 years, senior citizens aged above 60 years, those with serious illness and those under distress.
The order states that business travellers from Maharashtra who have a COVID-19 negative test certificate from an ICMR approved lab, which is no more than 2 days old from the date of arrival, and have a confirmed return flight/train ticket within 7 days of arrival may be exempted from home quarantine. Business travellers from other states who have return tickets within 7 days of arrival in the city and transit travellers who have a flight/train ticket for onward journey no more than one day from arrival in the city also are exempted from home quarantine.
With regard to enforcement of home quarantine, the order states that home quarantine poster should be affixed on the main door, while neighbours, residents’ welfare association, and apartments owners’ association should be informed of the same. While the ward level team have to carry overall responsibility of home quarantine, the three-member team at the booth level have to ensure it is implemented along with RWAs/apartment owners’ associations.
Those under home quarantine should download Quarantine Watch App and activate it for self-monitoring, upload daily status, temperature, fingertip pulse oximeter for elderly and persons with co-morbidity conditions.
The order further states that in case of non-compliance and violation of home quarantine, strict action will be initiated and persons will be shifted to institutional quarantine.
The zonal commissioners have already constituted field functionaries for the ward wise home quarantine teams, and the same has been whitelisted in the Quarantine Watch app. Already 460 such teams have been deployed in the 198 wards.
The order also lists the roles of zonal joint commissioners, deputy commissioners, the monitoring team at BBMP head office and RWAs, apartment owners’ associations in monitoring those under home quarantine.
The RWAs and apartment owners’ associations have been directed to obtain the list of all home quarantined travellers placed in the public domain, coordinate and facilitate booth level and ward teams. Anyone found to be violating the quarantine in their neighbourhood may be reported by calling the state toll-free helpline (104) or police (100) or BBMP helpline (94806858888).
