Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has given permission to the police to collect the mobile phone location details from service providers to check if people under home quarantine are flouting the rules.
If home quarantined people step out from their permissible limits, the cops will be alerted via SMS and email. A software, COVID-19 quarantine alert system, has been developed for this.
The government had asked the local bodies, healthcare workers and even neighbours to keep track of the home quarantined people. However, some people managed to give them the slip.
Hence, Home Secretary T K Jose gave permission to the police on Thursday to collect the tower location details of all the home quarantined people as per the Indian Telegraph Act 1885.
The software was jointly developed by the telecom department and the Centre for Development of Telematics.
The tower location data of those flouting quarantine rules will be collected from the service providers frequently and they will be tracked with the help of the software.
Case will be filed against those who flout the norms. The tower location data will be collected for 30 days.
The Home Secretary has also warned the cops that the data should not be used for any purpose that might infringe upon the personal freedom and privacy of the people.
Staying in home quarantine
* 14-day home quarantine
* Should stay in a bath-attached room with no air-conditioner. Windows should be left open.
* Wash the utensils on your own after having meals.
* Handle your own luggage and other articles.
* Use mask and sanitiser.
* Consult the doctor at the primary healthcare centre in case of symptoms.
* No visitors are allowed.
* Other members of the house should also not step out without permission.
* A healthy individual, in the age group of 18-50, should attend to the person in quarantine.
* This individual has to wear mask and gloves when entering the room of the quarantined person.
* If the norms are flouted, then the person will be moved to government-run centres.
* Special care needs to be taken if other people in the house are taking medicines for hypertension, diabetes, heart ailments; kidney, lung and liver diseases.
