The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday issued a set of revised protocols to seal buildings where a resident is detected with the novel coronavirus.
According to the new guidelines, the entire building will not be sealed anymore. Only the floor where positive cases are found will be sealed. The symptomatic patient will be then transferred to a hospital, private or public, based on affordability. Asymptomatic positive cases can be home-quarantined if there is a washroom at home. People coming in contact with the positive case will further be home-quarantined if there are toilets at home and after a self-declaration by the patient.
However, the civic body clarified that in some cases, it might seal the entire building. Daksha Shah, the deputy executive health officer of the BMC stated that the sealing of building may totally depend on the number of cases involved and that the BMC would act accordingly to the complexity of the situation in the building. Once a floor or a wing is sealed, the BMC will hand over the area to the building secretary or chairperson. The building office bearers will ensure containment zone rules are followed on the floor/wing, which the civic body will monitor.
The residents and patients of any building can call the helpline if anyone develops symptoms or needs help for arrangements of bed, at 108 and 1916. The BMC has appealed to people to not stigmatise all those who are being diagnosed with the coronavirus and are being quarantined.
As per the circular, no domestic help, vendors or service providers will be allowed inside the buildings and societies are advised to tie up with local vendors, medical stores and online merchants to deliver supplies at the society boundary wall. The society secretary will have to make sure that the delivery of essential supplies reaches home-quarantined asymptomatic patients.