Maharashtra awaiting ICMR guidelines on reducing quarantine period

Health Minister of Maharashtra, Rajesh Tope on Wednesday informed that the state govt is anticipating ICMR's nod on narrowing quarantine period to seven-day.

Mumbai:The Maharashtra government is awaiting fresh guidelines from the ICMR on reducing the 14-day institutional quarantine period, which is the current protocol for coronavirus patients and suspected cases, to seven days, Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Wednesday.

He also cited a new study, as per which, the government can administer only one test instead of the two tests before discharging patients. "I am aware of a new study that suggests seven-day quarantine period for those who are kept in institutional facilities by the government," Tope told a Marathi news channel.

Stating that two tests have to be performed on patients in a gap of 24 hours before discharging them, the minister said, as per the new study, the government can release a patient after conducting one test only.

"It will save time and testing kits for the government," Tope said. "We are waiting for official communication in this regard from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi," he said.

Meanwhile, Tope informed that the state government was conducting about 8,000 tests per day, as a result of which more coronavirus positive cases are getting detected. (PTI report)