Vigil stepped up against home-quaratined persons in Pune

The Pune Municipal Corporation is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that people under home quarantine do not flout the norms of isolation during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Civic officials have been using video calls, mobile applications, stickers and physical surveillance to keep a tab on people who have been home quarantined in Maharashtra's Pune city for suspected exposure to coronavirus.

The civic body has put stickers outside the homes of people who are under home quarantine, to indicate that a person or persons living there cannot step out of the premises for a particular period of time.

"We are putting up stickers on the doors of people who have been stamped and instructed to remain under home quarantine for particular period," a health official from the PMC said.

The sticker reads, "Please do not visit, under home quarantine," the official said, adding that the person's name and duration of the quarantine is also mentioned on the sticker.

Authorities have also given a phone number on which they can be contacted if the person is seen defying the health department's instructions, he said.

At least 3,500 people with foreign travel history, close contacts of positive patients and others have so far been placed under home quarantine in Pune city.

"Despite repeated appeals, some people don't comply with the rules, which is why such measures are being enforced.

We have instructed residents of the housing society to keep an eye out for such violators," the official said.

Similarly, the police have also stepped up vigil to ensure that home-quarantined persons remain indoors.

"We make video calls to these people to ensure that they haven't stepped out of their homes," a police official said.

These people are also tracked using a mobile application, which has location tracking and face recognition features.