NEW DELHI: On Friday, the Supreme Court called the global fight against Covid-19 a “world war” and called on states to act vigilantly and harmoniously with the Union government while ordering them to increase police surveillance in places crammed to strictly enforce the ‘duty to mask’ rule as well as other preventive regulations. The superior court emphasized that the fundamental right to health includes affordable treatment.
“It is a world war against Covid-19. Therefore, there will be a partnership between the government and the public to prevent the global war against Covid-19. Each state must act with vigilance and work with the Center in harmony. It is time to rise to the occasion. The safety and health of citizens must be the first priority, more than any other consideration, ”said a bench from Justices Ashok Bhushan, RS Reddy and MR Shah.
The bank said that treating Covid patients had become very expensive and out of the reach of the common man. “Even if you survive from Covid-19, many times financially and economically you are finished. Therefore, the state government and the local administration will adopt more and more provisions or a limit will be imposed on the fees charged by private hospitals, which may be in exercise of the powers provided for in the Disaster Management Law. ”
Expressing shock and dismay at people’s casual attitude towards the dreaded infectious disease that has killed more than 1.5 million people worldwide and 1.45 lakh in India, the bank said police should be deployed in more numbers in crowded places to monitor and enforce ‘mask must’ rule and other preventive standard operating procedures. “More and more police personnel will be deployed in places where there is a possibility for people to gather, such as food courts, restaurants, vegetable markets (wholesale or retail), sabzi mandis, bus stations, train stations, street vendors. , etc. weekends / nights will be considered by the states where it is not in place, ”said the bank.
“In a micro-containment zone or in an area where the number of boxes is on the upper side, to cut the chain, they must be sealed and there must be a complete closure as far as those areas are concerned. These containment areas need to be sealed for a few days, except for essential services. The same is required to break the chain of virus spread. Any decision to impose a curfew and / or lockdown must be announced well in advance so that people can meet and make provisions for their livelihood, such as rations, etc. “, said.
“As far as possible, unless necessary, the local administration or the collector / DSP will not grant permission for the celebration / gathering, even during the day and wherever permits are granted, the local administration / DSP / collector / Police in charge of the local police station must ensure strict compliance with Covid’s guidelines / SOPs, ”he added.
There should be a mechanism to check the number of people who will be attending such functions / meetings, such as details regarding how many people will attend the celebration / meeting, the times during which the celebration / meeting will take place, etc., he said . .
The SC emphasized the need for more and more proof and statement of correct facts about Covid infections to prevent the public from becoming negligent in having the impression that things are improving. “Whenever instructions are issued under the Disaster Management Act directing corporate / private hospitals to keep 50% or any other percentage of municipal beds free, it must be strictly adhered to and there will be constant surveillance and supervision,” the bank said.
The court took into account the fatigue of the doctors and health workers who have been working tirelessly and continuously for the past eight months and asked the Union government to devise a mechanism to give them intermittent rest. Attorney General Tushar Mehta assured the court that the Center was already working on a plan and would finalize it in a few days.
Considering elections in some states next year that require political rallies, the SC asked the states and UT to issue instructions to ensure compliance with the EC guidelines on political meetings and rallies. It asked states to submit affidavits within four weeks regarding compliance with its instructions.
The bank considered hospital-related fire safety issues and said that all states and UT should appoint a nodal officer for each Covid hospital, who will be responsible for ensuring compliance with all fire safety measures. He led the creation of district-level committees to carry out fire audits of each Covid hospital at least once a month.
“It is a world war against Covid-19. Therefore, there will be a partnership between the government and the public to prevent the global war against Covid-19. Each state must act with vigilance and work with the Center in harmony. It is time to rise to the occasion. The safety and health of citizens must be the first priority, more than any other consideration, ”said a bench from Justices Ashok Bhushan, RS Reddy and MR Shah.
The bank said that treating Covid patients had become very expensive and out of the reach of the common man. “Even if you survive from Covid-19, many times financially and economically you are finished. Therefore, the state government and the local administration will adopt more and more provisions or a limit will be imposed on the fees charged by private hospitals, which may be in exercise of the powers provided for in the Disaster Management Law. ”
Expressing shock and dismay at people’s casual attitude towards the dreaded infectious disease that has killed more than 1.5 million people worldwide and 1.45 lakh in India, the bank said police should be deployed in more numbers in crowded places to monitor and enforce ‘mask must’ rule and other preventive standard operating procedures. “More and more police personnel will be deployed in places where there is a possibility for people to gather, such as food courts, restaurants, vegetable markets (wholesale or retail), sabzi mandis, bus stations, train stations, street vendors. , etc. weekends / nights will be considered by the states where it is not in place, ”said the bank.
“In a micro-containment zone or in an area where the number of boxes is on the upper side, to cut the chain, they must be sealed and there must be a complete closure as far as those areas are concerned. These containment areas need to be sealed for a few days, except for essential services. The same is required to break the chain of virus spread. Any decision to impose a curfew and / or lockdown must be announced well in advance so that people can meet and make provisions for their livelihood, such as rations, etc. “, said.
“As far as possible, unless necessary, the local administration or the collector / DSP will not grant permission for the celebration / gathering, even during the day and wherever permits are granted, the local administration / DSP / collector / Police in charge of the local police station must ensure strict compliance with Covid’s guidelines / SOPs, ”he added.
There should be a mechanism to check the number of people who will be attending such functions / meetings, such as details regarding how many people will attend the celebration / meeting, the times during which the celebration / meeting will take place, etc., he said . .
The SC emphasized the need for more and more proof and statement of correct facts about Covid infections to prevent the public from becoming negligent in having the impression that things are improving. “Whenever instructions are issued under the Disaster Management Act directing corporate / private hospitals to keep 50% or any other percentage of municipal beds free, it must be strictly adhered to and there will be constant surveillance and supervision,” the bank said.
The court took into account the fatigue of the doctors and health workers who have been working tirelessly and continuously for the past eight months and asked the Union government to devise a mechanism to give them intermittent rest. Attorney General Tushar Mehta assured the court that the Center was already working on a plan and would finalize it in a few days.
Considering elections in some states next year that require political rallies, the SC asked the states and UT to issue instructions to ensure compliance with the EC guidelines on political meetings and rallies. It asked states to submit affidavits within four weeks regarding compliance with its instructions.
The bank considered hospital-related fire safety issues and said that all states and UT should appoint a nodal officer for each Covid hospital, who will be responsible for ensuring compliance with all fire safety measures. He led the creation of district-level committees to carry out fire audits of each Covid hospital at least once a month.
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