Home isolation cut to 7 days, health ministry revises rules

Union health ministry revised guidelines for home isolation for mild and asymptomatic infections. Such patients will “stand discharged and end isolation after at least seven days have passed from testing positive and no fever for 3 successive days, it said.there is no need for re-testing after the home isolation period is over, the guidelines stated. Patients suffering from immune compromised status such as HIV, transplant recipients and cancer therapy are not recommended for home isolation, unless cleared by a doctor, the Health Ministry said.

According to the revised guidelines, elderly patients who are over 60 years and those with co-morbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and chronic lung disease, among other, should only be allowed home isolation after proper evaluation by a doctor.