Coronavirus: Govt issues directives for home quarantine
Relatives and friends are not allowed to come into contact with quarantined people
The ultrastructural morphology exhibited by the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, which was identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China, is seen in an illustration released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, US January 29, 2020/Reuters
The government has issued a set of directives to follow while in home quarantine – in the wake of coronavirus entering the country.
Amid the rapid spread of the highly-contagious virus, home quarantine is being followed globally as the only effective measure to combat its spread.
Committees have been formed at various levels – national, divisional, city corporation, municipality, district, upazila, and union parishad – to fight the deadly virus.
To ensure proper home-quarantine, the authorities concerned have been asked to take the following measures:
- Quarantined people must not go outside their homes for 14 days and must remain in one fixed room within their home.
- Family members must ensure self-isolation for returnees coming from abroad.
- Committees will identify the houses of every expatriate returnee and supervise that they are staying at home.
- The committees will involve the local public representatives in ensuring home-quarantine is being properly followed. They will work with: government employees, civil society leaders, the municipality's mayor, councilors, union parishad chairs, ward members, union land assistant officers, health assistants, community health care providers, family welfare assistants, family welfare inspectors, village police, and local journalists.
- Relatives and friends are not allowed to come into contact with quarantined people.
- If anyone under quarantine violates the aforementioned rules, the responsible authority will obtain the help of the health officers of a respective area's health complex and acting officer of the police station.
- People mentioned on point-3 will inform: deputy commissioners, the superintendent of police, the upazila chair, the civil surgeon, the upazila executive officer, plus upazila health and family welfare officers – if needed.
- If a quarantined person feels sick, he or she must contact the local health authorities. These include the local civil surgeon, hospital curator, plus upazila and family planning officers. They will take necessary measures.
- Legal action will be taken against anyone who violates the rules under the Infectious Disease Act 2018. Responsible authorities will take action under the law.
- The committees will prepare a report based on their districts – daily – and send them to their respective: civil surgeon's control rooms, health directorate's email address, and health service division's email address.
