All involved in GHMC poll campaign to self isolate for a week: Health officials

The State Health Department on Wednesday issued an advisory asking everyone who were involved in the GHMC poll campaigning including political party leaders, party workers, volunteers and general public to self-isolate immediately for the next seven days.

In the last ten days or so during the GHMC election campaign, volunteers, political party workers, leaders and general public across Hyderabad, parts of Ranga Reddy and Medchal-Malkajgiri districts, have intermingled in a big way. To ensure these interactions do not trigger a second wave of Covid-19 infections, self-isolation is important, said Director of Public Health (DPH) Dr G Srinivasa Rao.

Individuals self-isolating themselves at their homes must watch out for tell-tale signs of Covid symptoms, which usually surface after 5 to 7 days. 

“During the campaign, party workers and leaders have freely interacted with numerous people, without any knowledge of their Covid status. It’s important to self-isolate, which will not only protect their family members but also helps contain further spread of the virus,” he said while interacting with presspersons on Wednesday.

A combination of conditions including the ongoing winter season, series of events



that led to mass gatherings and interactions during the GHMC poll campaigning and festivals like the recent Karthika Pournami have provided ideal conditions to trigger a second wave of Covid-19 infections, health officials said.

In the GHMC elections, thousands of volunteers and party workers took part in the campaigning process and directly interacted with members of the general public. Many tried their best to follow the Covid-19 guidelines but an equal number of people were unable to follow the required guidelines.

“Now that the campaigning and elections are over, this is the right time to take precautions. Even during self-isolation, individuals must wear masks, maintain physical distancing and focus on hand sanitising. These measures will ensure family members do not get infected,” Dr Rao said.

In case individuals develop Covid symptoms during their time in isolation, they must immediately reach the nearest public health care facility and get themselves tested. To ensure ample Covid-19 tests are available, health officials said that instructions have been issued to urban primary health centres in Hyderabad to test as many individuals as possible in a day.