Delhi LG withdraws 5-day institutional quarantine order after opposition by Kejriwal govt

New Delhi, June 20: Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Saturday rolled back his earlier order mandating a five-day institutional quarantine for anyone testing positive for coronavirus in Delhi. The move had triggered a huge controversy and strong protests from the Aam Aadmi Party government.

Issuing a clarification, Baijal said that only those positive cases that do not require hospitalisation on clinical assessment and do not have adequate facilities for home isolation would be required to undergo institutional isolation.

On Friday, Baijal ordered a five-day institutional quarantine for all asymptomatic COVID-19 patients or those with mild symptoms. He also ordered that after the five-day institutional quarantine asymptomatic patients will be sent for home isolation.

AAP MLA Atishi, who has tested positive for the coronavirus and is currently asymptomatic, said, "The Centre's decision of making five-day institutional quarantine compulsory for COVID-19 patients in Delhi is wrong. I am a coronavirus patient and recovering at home. Due to this five-day institutional quarantine, people will now refrain from getting tested."

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal earlier on Saturday also opposed Baijal's order, asking why a separate rule was employed in case of Delhi.

At a DDMA meeting, Kejriwal said the ICMR has permitted home isolation for asymptomatic and mild symptom Covid-19 patients in the whole country, then why a separate rule was employed in case of Delhi.

Delhi has 53,116 coronavirus cases of which 27,512 were active. The number of those under home isolation stood at 10,490. Of the 10,961 beds, 5,078 were vacant.