Isolating, testing all contacts of +ve cases: Chandigarh MC

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 1

With the number of Covid cases rising again, the MC authorities have restarted isolating and testing each contact of those testing positive for the virus. All high-risk and low-risk contacts of the patients are being tested. Even asymptomatic contacts of the positive person have to undergo the test.

According to a member of the contact tracing and quarantine wing of the civic body, they were only quarantining the family members earlier, but now other contacts of the patients are also directed to isolate themselves. “We have increased the number of contacts tested for the virus from an average eight when the case count was low to 14 now. This is the reason for the rise in the number of new cases in the UT,” said a member of the contact tracing team.

MC Additional Commissioner Anil Kumar Garg said, “All contacts of the positive person are being traced by our contact tracing teams, which get them tested by the Health Department.”

The number of the contract tracing and quarantine teams has also been raised from three to ten. Nine teams are active while one is kept in reserve.

As per the data available till March 28, as many as 61,516 persons were home-quarantined since the pandemic hit the city last year.

The contacts are quarantined for 17 days and a certificate is issued to them in this regard. In case the person who tests positive is already in a hospital, his contacts are quarantined for 14 days.

Some residents complained that despite testing positive, nobody came to their place to ensure they place themselves under quarantine. “I tested positive three days ago but nobody came to our place. It is very surprising,” said a resident of Sector 33.

“We get the details of positive patients from the Health Department. Sometimes, we do not get the details over some issue, due to which such cases are reported. If matter comes to our knowledge, we do the needful,” said a contact tracing official.