Delhi LG withdraws order on compulsory institutional isolation

CM Kejriwal and Deputy CM Sisodia, had vehemently opposed the LG order

anil-baijal-kejriwal-covid-pti Lt Governor Anil Baijal (left); CM Arvind Kejriwal | PTI

After a massive furore over the decision to send COVID-19 positive patients in the capital for compulsory institutional isolation, Lt Governor of Delhi Anil Baijal today withdrew the order, stating that only those cases which do not require hospitalisation on clinical assessment and do not have adequate facilities for home isolation would be required to undergo institutional isolation.

Baijal had yesterday, as head of the state disaster management authority, issued an order making it mandatory for COVID-19 positive cases, even if they were mild in nature, to undergo at least five days of institutional isolation. This was at odds with the Delhi government's policy of encouraging people with mild symptoms to stay at home, so that hospitals beds are available for serious patients.

Delhi government, represented by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, had, in a meeting of the SDMA earlier today, vehemently opposed the decision on institutional isolation, saying it would put a massive strain on Delhi's COVID-19 care resources. The Delhi government had argued that if home isolation was done away with, the capital would require one lakh beds by June end. When the matter could not be resolved, a second round of meeting took place in the evening, in which it was decided that home isolation of mild cases will be continued with.

Another major decision taken at the meeting of the SDMA was regarding capping of treatment charges at private COVID-19 hospitals. Baijal tweeted after the meeting that the authority had approved the recommendations of the high-level expert committee for fixing subsidised rates for COVID-19 treatment in private hospitals in the capital.

The issue of what percentage of COVID-19 beds in private hospitals would be provided at subsidised rates was another point of contention between the LG and the Delhi government, with the latter wanting a greater share of the beds to be provided at cheaper rates.

After the meeting, Sisodia said that while the committee had recommended that 60 per cent of the beds in private hospitals be made available at cheaper rates, it has been decided that 100 per cent beds will be provided at subsidised rates. He said the decision was that 100 per cent COVID-19 beds shall be subsidised up to an upper limit of 60 per cent of the total hospital capacity.