Guidelines issued for management of persons in home/institutional quarantine facilities

Persons under institutional quarantine to be discharged after due testing

Port Blair, Apr 7: The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India has issued Guidelines with reference to management of persons in home/institutional quarantine facilities. The latest guidelines issued on 05.04.2020  provided that the persons who are under Institutional Quarantine will only be discharged from quarantine facilities after due testing from the designated laboratory. These samples for tests shall be taken on 13th or 14th day of their quarantine period. Thereafter, the respective State/UT Administration will wait for the results of tests from the designated laboratory and after taking into account the tests results, the persons who are under Institutional Quarantine will be discharged. Further, they will be released with the direction to self-monitor their health at their homes (home quarantine) for next 14 days and immediately report to the District Surveillance Officer (DSO) or call 102/232102 in case of development of symptoms suggestive of COVID-19.

     In this regard, the UT Administration of Andaman & Nicobar Islands is currently keeping 400 suspect cases under Institutional Quarantine in Govt. Guest Houses/Private Hotels. These are the persons who travelled from mainland to the Islands as well as suspect cases who are the contacts of confirmed cases. The process of testing of these suspects has been started and will be completed within 02-03 days. Therefore, persons who are under Institutional Quarantine should wait for the results of tests of COVID-19 being performed on them. As soon as the test results are communicated by RMRC-ICMR, Dollygunj, Port Blair, the Administration will consider the discharge of quarantine. This is required to ensure that the discharged person is 100% free from the infection of the virus.

The Deputy Commissioner, South Andaman has already prepared a Containment Plan for the areas from which confirmed cases were detected and a massive drive is going on to screen all residents of these areas on a daily basis to identify the suspect contacts to prevent community transmission of virus. Moreover, to contain the virus locally, it was also decided that no person will be allowed to visit North & Middle Andaman District and Car Nicobar District from South Andaman district without having a Negative tested report for COVID-19 from the RMRC-ICMR Laboratory. The movement will be allowed only for emergency services. All residents of the Islands, have therefore, been requested to extent all help and cooperation to the Administration to effectively contain the spread of COVID-19 in the Islands.

COVID-19: RMRC–ICMR confirms one more positive case in A&N Islands

Administration identifying contacts of this confirmed case

Total number of COVID positive increases to 11

Port Blair, Apr 8

     The designated laboratory for COVID-19 in A&N Islands, RMRC–ICMR, Dollygunj today has confirmed one more positive tested case in Andaman & Nicobar Islands. As per the laid down protocols, the Administration is conducting tests of all the suspected cases who are in Institutional Quarantine facilities before discharging them from facilities after completing mandatory 14 days quarantine period. The passenger who was identified as positive tested yesterday travelled to Islands from Chennai by Indigo Flight on 24.03.2020 and was put in Institutional Quarantine facility at Hotel Keys. The Administration is now identifying contacts of this confirmed case and will put all the contacts under observation.

    It is pertinent to mention that till now, there were 10 positive cases in the Islands and they are under treatment in GB Pant Hospital. With the addition of this case, now the total number of positive cases has increased to 11 in the Islands. All these 11 confirmed cases are from two different flights which came from mainland on 24.03.2020.

    The Administration has conducted massive tests during the last 2 days. Around 269 samples were sent to RMRC-ICMR laboratory on 6^th & 7^th April 2020. Till today, the designated laboratory for COVID-19 in A&N Islands, the RMRC–ICMR, Dollygunj has conducted tests of 523 samples, out of which 11 have been found positive, a communication from the Principal Secretary (Health) said here today.