Covid-19: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Guidelines for Home Quarantine

A. Definition of Contact:

A contact is defined as a healthy person that has been in such association with an infected person or a contaminated environment as to have exposed and is therefore at a higher risk of developing disease.

A contact in the context of COVID-19 is:
• A person living in the same household as a COVID-19 case;
• A person having had direct physical contact with a COVID-19 case or his/her infectious secretions without recommended personal protective equipment (PPE) or with a possible breach of PPE;
• A person who was in a closed environment or had face to face contact with a COVID-19 case at a distance of within 1 metre including air travel;

The epidemiological link may have occurred within a 14-day period before the onset of illness in the case under consideration,

B. Instructions for contacts being home quarantined:

The home quarantined person should:

1. Stay in a well-ventilated single-room preferably with an attached/separate toilet. If another family member needs to stay in the same room, it's advisable to maintain a distance of at least 1 meter between the two.
2. Needs to stay away from elderly people, pregnant women, children and persons with co-morbidities within the household.
3. Restrict his/her movement within the house.
4. Under no circumstances attend any social/religious gathering e.g. wedding, condolences, etc.
5. He should also follow the under mentioned public health measures at all times:
   a) Wash hand as often thoroughly with soap and water or with alcohol-based hand sanitizer
   b) Avoid sharing household items e.g. dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels, bedding, or other items with other people at home.
   c) Wear a surgical mask at all the time. The mask should be changed every 6-8 hours and disposed off. Disposable masks are never to be reused.
   d) Masks used by patients / care givers/ close contacts during home care should be disinfected using ordinary bleach solution (5%) or sodium hypochlorite solution (1%) and then disposed of either by burning or deep burial.
   e) Used mask should be considered as potentially infected.
   f) If symptoms appear (cough/fever/difficulty in breathing), he/she should immediately:
   ➢ Inform the nearest health centre or
   ➢ Call Helpline:
   • 011-23978046
   • 7005415243
   • 9856071745
   • 7005539653
   ➢ Call Toll Free:
   • 1075
   • 102
   ➢ Email: nlssu.idsp@nic.in