As the COVID-19 cases are increasing everyday so the Union health ministry has revised the home isolation guidelines to include asymptomatic positive patients in the list of mild or pre-symptomatic coronavirus infection cases.  Check out the new guidelines and act accordingly

• Patients suffering from immune-compromised status (like HIV, transplant recipients, cancer therapy) are not eligible for home isolation.
•  Elderly patients aged more than 60 years and those with co-morbid conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, chronic lung/liver/kidney disease and cerebro-vascular disease among others shall only be allowed home isolation after proper evaluation by the treating medical officer.
• Patients under home isolation will stand discharged after 10 days of onset of symptoms and no fever for three days.
• There is no need for testing after the home isolation period is over.

• Asymptomatic patients like the ones who are pre-symptomatic and have very mild symptoms can opt for home isolation.
• A caregiver should be available to provide care on 24×7 basis and communication link between the caregiver and a hospital is a prerequisite for the entire duration of home isolation.
• Caregiver and all close contacts of such cases should take hydroxychloroquine as a preventive medication according to the protocol and as prescribed by the treating medical officer.
• Arogya Setu mobile application and that it should remain active at all times (through bluetooth and wi-fi).
• The guidelines state that states and districts should monitor all such cases, and that the health status of those under home isolation should be monitored by the field staff/surveillance teams through personal visits along with a dedicated call centre to follow up on the patients on a daily basis.

• Patients under home isolation should also be updated on COVID-19 portal and facility app (with DSO as user).
• All family members and close contacts shall be monitored and tested as per protocol by the field staff. These discharge guidelines shall be strictly adhered to along with issuance of a fitness certificate by the field team, they added.