Fighting Covid Stigma: Karnataka Committee Suggests Not Pasting Of Covid-Positive Notices On Houses

The stigma and the negative experiences of people who have tested positive for Coronavirus have begun to affect the efforts to arrest the pandemic.

Mobile testing units have been placed across Karnataka's capital city of Bengaluru but the officials are having a hard time getting people to test.

As news channels have been showing, citizens fearing the consequences have even been seen openly avoiding turning up for a test at these mobile clinics.

In a bid to address these concerns of people being traumatised by the treatment meted out by neighbours, and to encourage people to voluntarily come forward for testing, Karnataka's expert committee on Covid-19 has recommended that the practice of posting Quarantine notices on houses be discontinued.

"Pasting leaflets on doors will only amplify fear among neighbours and deter others from volunteering for tests," opined the committee, which was set up by the Supreme Court to oversee treatment, availability of drugs, and monitor Covid care in the state, as reported.

"Ensuring home isolation is fine, but we should not make it public," said the Chairman of the Committee, Dr C N Manjunath. This was among many other recommendations that the specially constituted team made to the state on Tuesday.

Other suggestions include the quarantining of Covid duty doctors every fortnight in good hotels, shutting down and fumigation of labs once in every 10 days, and drawing up measures to boost the confidence of Covid warriors.