Bhubaneswar, Jul 13 (IANS): The Odisha government has decided to allow home isolation of asymptomatic and mild symptomatic Covid-19 patients in urban areas.

Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy said, here on Mondaym, home isolation would only be allowed in urban areas, including 114 urban local bodies, district headquarters, sub-divisional towns and block headquarters in the first phase with certain conditions.

"Asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients will be allowed home isolation, subject to compliance of certain conditions, like separate room and toilet for the patient," said Tripathy.

It would help better use of critical resources, like hospitals, as the number of patients was on the increase.

However, HIV patients, transplant recipients, patients undergoing cancer therapy, elderly patients with co-morbidities will not be allowed home isolation.

If a person under home isolation develops severe symptom/faces deterioration in health, will have to follow the health department's protocols.

The government also allowed companies, PSUs, religious institutions, NGOs, agencies, resident welfare associations with adequate health care facilities to keep their own members, employees and workers with Covid-19 in isolation with certain conditions.

They will be allowed to house asymptomatic and mild symptom Covid-19 patients with required infrastructure. They could run Covid care centres for their members, said the Chief Secretary.