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Govt frames fresh quarantine procedure for returnees

By Staff Reporter - 15 Sep 2010 12:00 AM GMT

GUWAHATI, May 14 - The State health department today released a fresh quarantine SoP for the people returning from outside, under which asymptomatic pregnant women, elderly person, people over 75 years and requiring assistance, persons due to attend funerals and rituals associated with death, children below 10 years of age and Divyangs will be allowed home quarantine.

The second passenger train from Delhi is scheduled to reach Assam tonight with 219 passengers. The first Shramik Special train � plying from Chennai � will also reach Northeast tonight carrying 625 returnees.

The passengers would be screened after they disembark and those who are found to be symptomatic will be isolated and taken to institutional quarantine centres. Others will proceed in government-provided vehicles to the institutional quarantine facilities arranged in their home districts by the DCs.

All train passengers to Assam, irrespective of boarding station, will be put in an institutional quarantine facility first.

�As far as possible, we will arrange single rooms with toilets attached. We have asked the DCs to requisition all hotels, guest houses and similar facilities in their districts on rent,� Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The passengers will be tested within the first seven days. �If they test negative, they will be allowed to go for home quarantine, after stamping on their hands. The total quarantine period, including periods of both institutional and home quarantine of a passenger, should not be less than 14 days,� he said.

Rental charge of the institutional quarantine facilities will be assessed by DCs and borne by the government.

Once hotels and lodges are exhausted, quarantine facilities can be set up in various institutions like marriage halls, prominent educational institutes and other establishments where single toilet can be provided to one individual or to a group who have travelled together.

Similar food will be provided to all passengers under an institutional quarantine facility of any type across the district according to per person, per day norms to be circulated separately.

Medical teams will conduct periodic checks in the quarantine facility to detect infection, if any, in the facility.

Home quarantine of passengers will imply that the entire residence will be a containment zone during the quarantine period. No person will be allowed to enter or exit the zone during the period. Food will be provided by the administrations.

Committees are being constituted at the local level to monitor the adherence to home quarantine norms by the people.