Monitor every individual kept in home isolation, form Whats App group of COVID-19 patients: Div Com to officers

Srinagar, Sep 01: Authorities have directed officers to monitor every individual kept in home isolation on a daily basis and form WhatsApp group of COVID-19 patients in Kashmir.
Jammu and Kashmir last month revised its guidelines and declared that all asymptomatic Covid positive cases would be in-home isolation.
As per the guidelines, Covid positive cases would be allowed home isolation with conditions free Oximeter, compulsory Arogya Setu App and proper isolation space with a poster outside the house.
Now Divisional Commissioner Kashmir has issued a directive which says that home isolation of positive patients has increased responsibilities of administration as it has to monitor each and every individual patient kept in home isolation on a daily basis.
“All the patients should be visited on a daily basis, in order to keep track of the positive patients, regular phone calls during mornings and evenings shall be made from the Control Room and the same shall be recorded on a register maintained for the purpose. A WhatsApp group should be made with all the Covid positive patients put on home isolation at the block level to monitor their health status. Any patient who develops symptoms shall be immediately shifted to Covid Health Facility,” the directive reads, a copy of which lies with news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS).
The Divisional Commissioner Kashmir directed all the districts to ensure the availability of Oximeters to every Home Isolated positive patient so that they are able to monitor the essential parameters. “After the home isolation period is over, the oximeters shall be taken back and used for subsequent patients,” he said.
In a modification in the protocol for positives of Covid- 19 infection and their contacts, Jammu and Kashmir Government had revised home isolation guidelines to permit such patients for home quarantine who are asymptomatic with no comorbidity and are not vulnerable otherwise.
An order issued by Health and Medical Education Department in this regard had asked Divisional, District as well as designated institutions and hospitals which include SKIMS Soura, Srinagar, Govt. Medical Colleges of Jammu, Srinagar, Anantnag, Baramulla, Doda, Kathua and Rajouri and Director Health Services Kashmir/Jammu to follow the revised guidelines.
All such patients shall be permitted for home quarantine provided they have separate room available in their home; have downloaded Aarogya Setu application on their phones; besides such patients will be provided with Oximeter to monitor their oxygen saturation and in the event of drop of the Oxygen level below 90% they shall immediately be hospitalized; a poster shall be pasted outside their home displaying therein that the resident has been quarantined and reach out teams shall be constituted by the Directorate of Health Services, Jammu / Kashmir to monitor health status of the patient.
“Further, it is permitted to dispense with present practice of administrative quarantine of contacts of COVID positive patients. All asymptomatic contacts of COVID-19 patient will be allowed home quarantine and tested on the sixth day of the contact,” the order had said.