Those in home isolation and not following guidelines to be shifted to care centres

Considering complaints that asymptomatic and mildly-symptomatic COVID-19 patients were not strictly following home isolation guidelines, the Ballari district administration has decided to shift such patients from their houses to COVID Care Centres.

Speaking to media representatives at the district administrative complex in Ballari on Wednesday, Minister for Infrastructure Development, Haj and Wakf B.S. Anand Singh, who is also district in-charge, said that those in home isolation in the cluster areas will be shifted in the first phase.

“We have realised that many COVID-19 patients who are asked to be in isolation in their respective houses are not strictly following the guidelines. They are home only when the teams concerned visit them. They are spreading the infection to others by freely roaming outside and mingling with others. This has caused the further spread of the infection in the district. That is why we have decided to shift such patients who are now in home isolation to COVID Care Centres,” Mr. Singh said.

To a question, he said that over 14,000 people are in home isolation in the district and those that are living in areas where relatively more positive cases are reported will be shifted to care centres in the first place with the help of the Police Department.

1,000 beds in four days

Mr. Singh said that a temporary hospital with 1,000 beds, including 300 oxygen beds, which is being built at Toranagal in the district, will be ready in four days.

“I have just visited the spot. The work is progressing at a good speed. Electricity work is under way now. The hospital will be ready in four days. The process of recruiting staff, including doctors, staff nurses, technicians and group D employees, is under way,” Mr. Singh added.

The hospital is being built with assistance from steel giant JSW Steel on its premises at Toranagal.