The Health Ministry has instructed designated COVID-19 hospitals to not keep asymptomatic patients or those with mild symptoms for more than 14 days.
The Health Emergency Operation Center at the ministry has issued a circular instructing the hospitals to discharge such patients after conducting PCR test on the 10th day if they test negative. It has asked the hospital to discharge them after 14 days without a test if they test positive on the 10th day.
It has said the government will not bear expenses if they are kept for more than 14 days. The government has been bearing all the expenses of COVID-19 patients until now.
The government has urged the asymptomatic patients and those with mild symptoms to remain in home isolation as far as possible citing scarcity of hospital beds due to the surge in infection in recent times.