Nellore: No home-isolation hereafter; have to join a care centre or hospital for covid treatment

Nellore: Hereafter, there is no provision for home isolation in the district as the Government is insisting the newly infected to join the Hospitals or Care Centres only. In Nellore, village and ward volunteers, ANMs and revenue staff members are asking the infected to join any covid hospital or care centre, categorically saying they are not going to supply the home medication kits to them.

Till now, as soon as the RTPCR tests confirmed the test result of a person, officials are giving them an option either to join a care centre or stay at home following the guidelines of the medical officials based on their health condition. In case the infected are comorbid, elderly, and having other severe health complications they can prefer joining a Covid hospital or a care centre for treatment as part of precautionary measure.

But, now, due to unknown reasons, volunteers are telling the newly infected persons not to stay at home and should visit any hospital or care centre for treatment. Volunteers are clearly saying the district officials instructed them to direct the newly infected to the hospitals or care centres, asking them not to stay at home for self-isolation. They said these directions came into force immediately.

But the act of forcible shifting is attracting violation of the existing directions of the Centre where they are suggesting mild and asymptomatic people to stay at home following guidelines of the doctors regularly. Volunteers or revenue staff members have to watch the condition of the home-based infected persons and inform the officials about their condition.

High Court advocate GV Nagaraja Rao said this is completely meaningless, demanding the infected with mild symptoms, elderly and others join any hospital or a care centre which is against the guidelines of the Centre. AP Covid instant orders also not mandated such forcible accommodation, disallowing the home-based isolation.

"This seems to be supporting the Covid hospitals for making money and the government should roll back the orders immediately. ANMs, village/ward volunteers and revenue staff members are clearly saying that they have oral instructions from the officials. Some volunteers confirmed the same when we interacted with them. DM&HO of Nellore also said they have taken the decision considering the increasing number of deaths. We are demanding a probe on the directions of the DM&HO," said Nagaraja Rao.

Elderly, people with comorbidities and others face severe problems in care centres or some other hospitals due to lack of facilities. An activist K Ramanaiah from Nellore city said they are not accepting this kind of trouble to the infected and approach the Court of Law if necessary.