Chandigarh, September 4
COVID patients in home isolation in Punjab will no longer have to suffer from the fear and stigma of social isolation resulting from posters posted at the entrance of their homes.
In an important step toward mitigating the stigma associated with the pandemic, Punjab’s Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday reversed his government’s previous decision to post posters outside the homes of COVID patients in home isolation or quarantined. Where the posters were already attached they can be removed, he said.
The measure is aimed at minimizing the stigma resulting from the placing of posters of this type on the entrance doors of such patients, thus also denying the fear of tests, said the Chief Minister, once again calling on people to to come for early tests, diagnosis. and COVID treatment. The psychological trauma patients were seen suffering as a result of these posters, which were intended to protect neighbors and other such patients, was defeating the very purpose, he said, adding that these posters were actually found to scare off women. test people.
The undesirable and unintended consequences of these posters included social isolation and stigma, leading to anxiety and prejudice against patients. People would refrain from getting tested to avoid this stigma instead of providing support and community to patients and their families, prompting a rethinking of the decision to put up posters, Capt. Amarinder Singh said.
The Chief Minister urged people to continue to take all necessary precautions and to follow all applicable guidelines for home isolation / quarantine despite the removal of the posters. Violation of these guidelines is a punishable offense under the Disaster Management Act, the Epidemic Disease Act and the IPC, he noted.
The Chief Minister said that his government was committed to ensuring the health and well-being of all people, and that the community had an important role to play in this fight. They can do this by providing support, motivating and encouraging behavior change that can help prevent transmission of the disease and prevent rumors about the disease or its treatment, he said, calling for a collective fight against the pandemic.
It should be recalled that the Government of Punjab had recently allowed home isolation for asymptomatic / mildly symptomatic COVID patients, who did not suffer from any comorbidity, according to the protocol of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the recommendations of the ICMR. In fact, as the number of cases in the state continued to increase, home isolation of these patients was actively promoted and facilitated, with constant monitoring by the Local Health Authorities. The follow-up was aimed at ensuring the best possible care for these patients in terms of environment, diet, etc. and also to make sure that L3 / L2 beds were available to those who needed them. To raise awareness in the community and act as a checkpoint for possible patient violation of home isolation guidelines, posters were posted on the front door of the house indicating that a positive patient was in home isolation.
