Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday opposed Lieutenant General Anil Baijal’s decision of five-day compulsory institutional quarantine for COVID-19 patients in the national capital, according to sources. Kejriwal has opposed the Delhi Lieutenant Governor’s (LG) decision at the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) meeting, which held today at 12 pm. The sources added that Kejriwal has said there is already a shortage of healthcare staff in the national capital and, therefore, how will it be possible to arrange doctors and nurses for thousands of patients at quarantine centres. During the meeting, he also questioned that when the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is allowing home-isolation for asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic cases across the country then why different rules are being implemented in the national capital. The Chief Minister also alleged that compliance of the LG’s order will lead to a collapse of the system in place in Delhi and suggested that this will make asymptomatic and people with mild symptoms afraid of getting themselves tested leading to spread of the disease. Delhi LG Anil Baijal had on Friday issued an order that every COVID-19 positive person in the national capital will have to stay in 5-day institutional quarantine. “Every corona positive person will have to stay in the quarantine centre for 5 days. Only then a person will be sent to home isolation. But if there are symptoms then they will be sent to the quarantine centre or hospital, accordingly,” the order issued by LG read. “Under the supervision of the District Magistrate, the team of District Surveillance Officers will do physical verification of everyone in home isolation,” it added. As of Saturday morning, Delhi’s COVID-19 stood at 53,116 including 27,152 active cases while 23,569 patients have been cured and discharged. The toll due to the infection stood at 2,035.
