Issuing fresh quarantine and isolation guidelines for healthcare workers who come in contact with a Covid positive case, Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC) said “they will have to continue work with a tight-fitted mask and maximum possible social distancing preferably more than 1 metre, irrespective of the degree of contact”.
LHMC issued a circular to this effect Wednesday, which is in line with directions of the Union Health Ministry stating that healthcare workers in central government hospitals will not quarantine after coming in contact with colleagues or other Covid positive cases, irrespective of the degree of contact.
An official from AIIMS confirmed that this is as per directions of the Union Ministry and is being followed across all central government-run hospitals.
The LHMC circular further states that healthcare workers must be vigilant about symptoms of influenza-like illness such as fever, cough, sore throat, cold and get tested if they they spot any.
This would come as a major relief as hundreds of doctors and staff members testing positive, and their contacts also going into quarantine, has led to hospitals experiencing a staff crunch.
“Who will work at the hospital if everyone goes into isolation or quarantine? The circular is as per government guidelines,” said a senior doctor from LHMC. On being asked if it puts patients at risk, the doctor said, “They are working with already positive patients.”
For mild and asymptomatic cases, just like the new home isolation guidelines, healthcare workers would also have to be in isolation for seven days. For moderate cases and severe cases, the isolation will be for seven days after discharge from the hospital.
“During the last wave, we were isolating all close contacts of a positive case also for 10 days along with the positive case. Now, keeping in mind that the variant is mild, contacts can continue to work wearing a good mask,” said the AIIMS official.