BENGALURU: The BBMP on Tuesday clarified that employees who are returning to office after completing scheduled home isolation period need not carry or produce a Covid-negative certificate, reports Nithya Mandyam.
The clarification comes following complaints that some BBMP primary health centres were demanding bribe to issue a Covid-negative certificate so that employees could report to work.
Sources said Pushpa (name changed), a 33-year-old contract employee at a private firm in Bidadi, visited the BBMP health centre at Kengeri on Monday, seeking a letter on completion of home isolation after testing positive for Covid-19 infection. Her employer had insisted on the letter to let her rejoin work.
The staff allegedly demanded Rs 250 and gave the letter only after she paid Rs 100. She was made to wait for an hour for this, and officials gave her a mouthful for questioning the bribe.
After learning about the incident, BBMP has requested private firms not to insist on the certificate as it is redundant since an infected person has completed a weeklong home-isolation and is free from symptoms. BBMP special commissioner (health) Dr KV Thrilok Chandra told TOI on Tuesday that the only condition is that the person should not have symptoms and must follow Covid protocols.
With nearly 25% of those tested in Bengaluru testing positive, many firms are reporting large-scale absenteeism. During the first and second waves of Covid-19, many sectors made it mandatory for employees to get a negative certificate to rejoin work.
"The viral load does not clear off within seven days of isolation. In some cases, it might stay longer. That, however, does not mean they are a threat to society," said a senior doctor from Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute.
BBMP health officer Dr AS Balasundar said: "Since symptoms during the third wave have been milder, many people preferred home isolation. It is not just one person testing positive. The whole family is getting infected. Hence, home isolation is ideal in such cases."
Samyuktha Sreenivas K, an analyst at a start-up, said her office demanded a negative report to return to work though she was away for only two days. "When I turned positive, I showed no symptoms except a mild cold. But it might take more than a week to vanish. It would be challenging to test again and get a report," she said, welcoming BBMP's clarification.
"We are already losing one week's work due to home isolation. If we have to get a negative certificate to get back to work, it would be difficult. Sometimes we might feel healthy, but there could be fatigue and reports might show us positive," said Paramesha Lingaiah, a garment factory worker, in Rajarajeshwari Nagar.
Data accessed by TOI said nearly 1.6 lakh active home isolation cases have been recorded in the past week and 97,000 home-isolation kits have been distributed.
