Assam Government rules out new Covid restrictions

Guidelines for home isolation and hospitalization changed

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The State government has ruled out any new Covid-19 restrictions despite the rise in Covid-19 cases in the state.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "Our concern is the number of hospitalized patients. Though new Covid-19 cases are on the rise in the state, only 12 per cent of them are in hospitals. The gap between the total number of Covid-19 beds and the beds occupied is quite wide in the state. We have brought some changes in home isolation guidelines."

The Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Anurag Goel, has issued the order. In sync with the ICMR guidelines, the State Health Department has modified its guidelines for Covid-19 patient management. Now onward, an asymptomatic Covid-19 patient will stay in hospitals only for five days. If no Covid-19 symptom comes to light in three consecutive days, the hospital will discharge him in five days. And Covid-19 test is not mandatory at the time of discharge. After discharge, the patient will undergo two-day home isolation instead of seven days earlier. If any problem arises in the two-day home isolation, the patient or relatives should dial 104.

The department shall consider asymptomatic patients in home isolation discharged on the 7th day if no symptom comes to the fore.

Any patient coming to casualty/emergency facilities in medical colleges, district hospitals and private hospitals should not be made to wait for Covid test results unless the patient is having Covid-related symptoms.

Asymptomatic patients undergoing surgical/non-surgical invasive procedures, including pregnant women in/near labour and hospitalized for delivery, should not undergo Covid test unless warranted or symptoms develop.

Hospital facilities should not refer patients to other facilities for lack of a testing facility. They should have all arrangements to collect and transfer samples to testing facilities mapped to the health facility.

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