Covid-19 patients in home isolation in Punjab will no longer have to suffer the fear and stigma of social isolation resulting from ‘quarantine’ posters affixed at the entrance of their homes.
For, in a major step towards mitigating the stigma attached to the pandemic, the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday rescinded the State Government’s earlier decision of putting posters outside the houses of Covid-19 patients under home isolation or quarantine.
Besides, directions have also been given to remove the posters where already affixed.
“The move is aimed at minimizing the stigma resulting from the affixing of such posters at the front doors of such patients, thus also negating the fear of testing,” said the Chief Minister, once again appealing to the people to come out for early testing, diagnosis, and treatment of COVID-19.
The psychological trauma which patients were seen suffering as a result of these posters, which were meant to protect the neighbours and others of such patients, was defeating the very purpose, he said, adding that these posters were actually found scaring people away from testing.
“The undesirable and unintended consequences of these posters included social isolation and stigma, leading to anxiety and prejudices against the patients. People would refrain from getting tested to avoid this stigma instead of extending support and community to the patients and their families, which had prompted a rethink on the decision of affixing posters,” said Capt Amarinder.
The Chief Minister urged the people to continue taking all necessary precautions and follow all applicable guidelines for home isolation or quarantine notwithstanding the removal of the posters.
Violation of these guidelines is a punishable offence under Disaster Management Act, Epidemic Diseases Act, and the Indian Penal Code (IPC), he pointed out.
The Chief Minister said that the State Government was committed to ensure the health and well-being of every person, and the community had an important role to play in this fight.
“They can do so by providing support, motivating and encouraging behavioural change that can help avoid the transmission of the disease and in preventing any rumours about the disease or its treatment,” he said, calling for a collective fight against the pandemic.
Notably, the State Government had recently allowed home isolation for asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic COVID patients, who did not suffer from any co-morbidities, as per the protocol of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and recommendations of ICMR.
In fact, as the number of cases in the State continued to rise, home isolation for these patients was actively advocated and facilitated, with constant monitoring by Local Health Authorities.
The monitoring was aimed at ensuring the best possible care for such patients in terms of environment, diet etc. and also to make sure that LII and LII beds were available for those who needed them.
To make the community aware and act as a check on possible violation by the patient of the home isolation guidelines, posters indicating that a positive patient was under home isolation were being affixed on the front door of the house.
AWARENESS CAMPAIGN TO REMOVE STIGMA LAUNCHED
Punjab Government on Friday launched an awareness campaign to remove stigma, discrimination associated with COVID-19.
The campaign would jointly be conducted by Punjab Government, in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India and WHO, said the state Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu on Friday while launching the same through a zoom meeting in which Medical Officers, District Mass Media Officers, Block Extension Educators, Multi-Purpose Health Supervisors and ASHAs were sensitized.
Sidhu said that besides counselling, it is necessary that reliable and accurate information regarding COVID-19 should be provided to all corona positive patients so that they may not fall for misinformation. “This campaign would provide relief to the patients who are suffering from mental stress along with COVID-19,” he added.
Sidhu said: “Amid this COVID-19 scenario when Punjab Government is in the process of controlling the spread of this disease, the Health Department is facing new challenges across the State. There is a growing stigma and discrimination associated with this disease, which needs to be immediately addressed.”
“Rumours are being circulated by some miscreants and people should not believe such rumours and strict action would be dealt with strictly,” he said while expressing sympathy with the corona warriors who laid down their lives while fighting this pandemic.
UNDP Punjab, State Project Officer, Dr Manisha Mandal said that the people got into a panic seeing the number of fatalities in other countries due to COVID-19, and a fear psychosis has been created in their minds, which is a stumbling block in controlling this disease. “There is a lot of misinformation in the field due to some lack of knowledge. These are the basic reasons that such a campaign is required to dispel any stigma associated with this disease,” she said.