Bengaluru: BBMP on Tuesday clarified that employees who returned to the office after completing the scheduled home isolation period did not need to carry or produce negative-negative certificates, reported Nithya Mandyam.
Clarification comes after a complaint that some BBMP primary health centers demand bribes to issue a Covid-negative certificate so that employees can report to work.
Resources say Pushpa (name changed), an employee of a 33-year-old contract at a private company in Bidadi, visited the BBMP Health Center in Kengeri on Monday, looking for a letter on house isolation settlement after testing positive infections for Covid-19.
His employer insisted on the letter to let him rejoin.
Staff allegedly demanded Rs 250 and gave the letter only after he paid Rs 100.
He was made to wait an hour for this, and the officials gave him a mouthful to question bribery.
After learning about the incident, the BBMP has asked private companies not to demand a certificate because it is excessive since infected people have completed home isolation for a week and free of symptoms.
BBMP Special Commissioner (Health) Dr.
KV Thrilok Chandra told Ti on Tuesday that the only condition was that the person should have no symptoms and must follow the Covid protocol.
With almost 25% of those tested in positive Bengaluru testing, many companies report large-scale absence.
During the first and second wave of Covid-19, many sectors make it mandatory for employees to get a negative certificate to rejoin work with work.
“Viral load is not clear within seven days of isolation.
In some cases, it might stay longer.
However, that does not mean they are a threat to the community,” said a senior doctor from the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute.
BBMP Health Officer Dr.
Replations said: “Because symptoms during the third wave are lighter, many people prefer home isolation.
Not only one person tests positive.
The whole family is infected.
Therefore, house isolation is ideal in such cases..” Samyuktha Sreenivas K, a person Analyst at start-up, said his office demanded a negative report to return to work even though he left for only two days.
“When I turned positively, I didn’t show symptoms except mild colds.
But it might need more than a week to disappear.
It will be very challenging to test again and get a report,” he said, welcoming BBMP clarification.
“We have lost a job one week because of house isolation.
If we have to get a negative certificate to return to work, it will be difficult.
Sometimes we may feel healthy, but there may be fatigue and reports might show us positively,” said Paramesha Lingaiiah, a worker garment factory, in Rajarajeshwari Nagar.
The data accessed by Toi said almost 1.6 cases of active home insulation lakh has been recorded in the past week and 97,000 housing isolation kits have been distributed.