Person kept under institutional quarantine in Kangra consumes sanitiser

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, June 8

A person kept under institutional quarantine in Jawalamukhi consumed hand sanitiser on Sunday night. He was shifted to Tanda medical college where he was undergoing treatment till the filing of this report. His condition was stated to be stable.

The deputy commissioner Kangra, Rakesh Prajapati when contacted admitted the person kept at Jawalamukhi institutional quarantine centre consumed some substance after which he was shifted to Tanda medical college.

He said the person was suffering from some medical problems. His eyesight was also very weak due to which he was suffering from psychological problems. “We are getting the person examined and only the medical reports will reveal as to what was consumed by the person kept under quarantine.”

The person who consumed sanitiser was a resident of Jawalamukhi area and had returned back to district on May 30 from Ropar area of Punjab.

The issued has brought to the fore stress being faced by people being kept under institutional quarantine. Though Kangra district administration has created among “best facilities” for keeping people in institutional quarantine, people are facing high degree of stress due to stigma attached with coronavirus. In many cases people have claimed that even after they are discharged from Institutional quarantine those in their own villages avoid meeting them.

Even the gaddi shepherds who reached their villages in Multhan area of Kangra district from lower areas of state had to face social boycott. They were forced by panchayats to stay under home quarantine for a period of 14 days and almost faced social boycott in the villages.

The doctors are of the view that besides good food and place to stay the people being kept under institutional quarantine should also be provided psychological counselling. The doctors said there was need to sensitise the staff which was treating the people kept under institutional quarantine.

The Kangra district administration in the recent past had relaxed the norms of institutional quarantine. Now the pregnant women, old people and people suffering from medical problems are being allowed home quarantine instead of institutional quarantine. The institutional quarantine period has also been reduced to 7 days instead of 14 in case the person tests negative for coronavirus.