Few isolation facilities in Hyderabad leave families in lurch

HYDERABAD: As Covid-19 cases swell, isolation at home has emerged as a major challenge for several families across the city. While the Telangana government has ramped up medical infrastructure in hospitals, accommodation for independent isolation is still tough to find.
As of Friday, 29,127 people were under treatment and isolation across the state.

The most common reason for seeking isolation centres away from home has been limited rooms and common washrooms in many houses.“I have a relative who is pregnant and lives with her family of four in a two bedroom apartment with only one common bathroom. One of the family members tested positive and it was not possible for her to stay in the same house with only one bathroom,” said Dinesh Rochiramani, who works as a distributor. With little option for isolation facilities around their house, the family continued to stay together and is following all safety protocols within the house.
Many others testing positive are moving out of their homes and shifting to private isolation centres to keep elderly and children safe. “I was staying with one of my cousins who lives with his parents and has an eight year old son. After I tested positive, I didn’t want to put the family at risk and decided to isolate myself in a facility at Kondapur,” said Vinay Rao, who works as graphic designer.
Volunteers say that they are receiving numerous enquiries from people seeking isolation services. Unlike the second wave when independent centres had mushroomed across the city, this time, very few facilities are available.
“In the last few days, there has been an increase in number of people seeking independent isolation facilities. Some such facilities are available in areas such as Kondapur, Bachupally and Kompally. However, they charge anywhere between Rs 2,300 to Rs 3,000 per day. People want more government-run isolation centres,” said Sai Charan Chikkulla, managing director of a Pharma company, who began volunteering to help people deal with Covid-related challenges during the second wave.