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Srinagar, Mar 29: Authorities have put the secondary relatives of first deceased Covid-19 patient to quarantine. Reports said all the secondary relatives of including cousins and nephews were shifted from home quarantine to a hotel. Pertinently, all the immediate family members of the deceased Covid-19 patient have been tested negative.

Among those quarantined to a hotel includes a pregnant woman.

 Imran Anim, the nephew of the deceased Covid-19 patient told KNT that they hadn’t developed direct contact with the deceased. “We had been maintaining quarantine at our respective homes since the day deceased report was declared positive. We have been remaining in complete  isolation with each other even at our home,” he said.

 “However, yesterday evening, we all relatives of deceased were dumped together to Administrative quarantine collectively in a bus which is against the quarantine protocol. We are staying all together in a hotel where we were being so called quarantined and in actual, protocol was being completely breached and it is exposing all of us to danger of cross infection as there is no isolation in between our families.  The hotel is deprived of basic ammenities and there are no arrangement of heating and hot water. The hotel is very unhygienic. The tap water is so contaminated that it is difficult to even gargle. We are provided unhygienic food which we couldnt consume. My wife is expecting in her 8th month and is suffering from hyper tension,” Imran alleged.

As per MHA guidelines, secondary contacts, if any, need to be quarantined at home.

He appealed  authorities to allow them to stay at home where they will strictly follow the quarantine norms.

  When contacted, a Government Official said the secondary members have been quarantined in a hotel keeping the rising cases of Covid-19 infection into consideration. ” We will provide better facilities to them and will quarantine them at home when situation normalises,” he said. (KNT)