Mobile phones of more than 24,000 individuals in Delhi, who are presently under quarantine to prevent the spread of coronavirus, will be put under surveillance for security agencies to check if they have violated the quarantine. The security agencies will go through their GPS locations to determine if they are staying put, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said Wednesday.

Experts said there is no past pandemic to set a precedent for this one, but raised concerns about possible violation of privacy rights. Police said they were yet to be notified on the move.

"We have seen several developed nation track phones of their quarantined patients to check against violations and the method seems to have worked. In a meeting with the lieutenant-governor, we too have decided to adopt the method. We have already provided 11,084 phone numbers to the police and another set of 14,345 phone numbers will be provided today (Wednesday)," Kejriwal said.

He further said, "By tracking the locations of those numbers for the quarantine period, the police would be in a position to ascertain if the quarantine was violated at any point. We had to take such strict measures considering how the virus has spread across countries."

"We are yet to be notified about the announcement made by the CM regarding electronic surveillance on quarantined people. As and when we are informed about it, necessary steps would be taken to implement it," said a police officer, who did not want to be named.

Category A persons - individuals who have returned from coronavirus-affected nations and are symptomatic, and their contacts - are isolated in government facilities. But, asymptomatic persons - classified under Category B and C - are either asked to go for self-quarantine in their residences or remain isolated in government centres, depending on their travel history and other factors that include age and other ailments, as per the guidelines issued by the Union health ministry.

In Delhi, till Wednesday, the virus was infected 152 (as on Wednesday) individuals and claimed two lives, Kejriwal said. The city, along with the rest of India, is currently in a 21-day lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Of the 152 persons diagnosed positive in Delhi, Kejriwal said, 49 had a travel history to an affected nation, 29 were people who came into their direct contact and 24 are cases originating from the Markaz gathering in Nizamuddin. A recently held religious congregation in Nizamuddin Delhi has led to many who attended the event contracting the virus.

"There have been no past pandemics to set a precedent. Law and order authorities have always had access to call detail records and locations, which now form the basis of many investigations and charge sheets. In the present case, with the invocation of the Epidemic Act, there is even a plausible legal cover, for this action, which maybe justified as checking for possible violations of the Act," senior Supreme Court advocate Sanjay Hegde said.

Srinivas Kodali, a researcher on data and governance, said: "The government has pushed the burden onto individuals. Instead of helping them go through quarantine, the government is forcing its might onto victims. Such exercises do not build trust and could actually lead to more people jumping quarantine and keeping their phones turned off. Not to mention that this is an outright violation of a person's fundamental right to privacy as there are other less intrusive ways to do this without violating an individual's privacy."

RATION FOR POOR WITHOUT CARDS

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal Wednesday said poor people in Delhi, who do not have a ration card yet, can apply for the same online and avail of ration from fair price shops starting this month with the help of the acknowledgement receipt.

He pegged the number of such people at one million. Delhi already has 7.1 million beneficiaries under the public distribution system of essential items. All of them are entitled to receive 7.5kg additional ration - primarily comprising rice and wheat - from April in light of the 21-day lockdown.

"I will ensure that nobody stays hungry during or after the lockdown," Kejriwal said after the announcement made through a video conferencing to address the media.

Meanwhile, lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal ordered the use of fire tenders for disinfecting hot spot clusters, quarantine centres and vulnerable public spaces to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

"Directions have been issued to use the fire brigade for disinfecting vulnerable neighbourhoods, especially the hot spot areas, quarantine centres, public places, etc. District disaster management authorities will take concerted preventive actions and ensure social distancing at ATMs, food distribution centres, etc." a statement from Baijal's office read.

So far, Dilshad Garden and Nizamuddin localities have been identified as coronavirus hot spots in Delhi.

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