Take ample steps to prevent Covid in Telangana: High Court

Hyderabad: The Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Bollam Vijaysen Reddy, while hearing the batch of PILs on Covid-19 on Friday, directed the State government to inform its 'preparedness' for administering vaccination to all those, who have crossed 18 years with effect from May 1, in the wake of the notification issued by the Central government.

The Bench directed Rizvi, Secretary, Health and Family Welfare to file a Status Report by April 27, indicating the State's preparedness in administering vaccine to the inmates in prisons, senior citizens living in Old age homes, destitutes staying in shelter homes and open spaces, occupants of orphanages and homes for visual / visually disabled. The Plan of Action shall be prepared and submitted to the Court by April 26.

Chief Justice Hima Kohli took strong objection to the contention raised by Secretary Rizvi, when he insisted upon the CJ Court to grant some more time to file the next Status report on the ground that by April 26, he will not be in a position to file the report as he has to collate information from district collectors and others.

Further, CJ Hima Kohli made it clear that the 1st Court (Chief Justice Court) will work during this summer vacation and monitor the steps taken by the State to assuage people's woes from coronavirus because the lives of the citizens, their health is more important to the Court.

The CJ expressed serious concern over the 198 deaths that took place due to Covid, out of which, 64 deaths occurred in Hyderabad and directed the State to ramp up the Testing through RTPCR more particularly in Nirmal, Nizamabad, Yadadri-Bhongir, Mancherial and Kamareddy as the positivity rate is high in these districts and issued the following directions to the State government to implement its orders.

The government and private hospitals should be directed to display boards at the entrance of the hospitals clearly showing the details of number of beds available, the hospitals should not insist upon the RTPCR test report with the patient, prior to getting admitted in such hospital.

The Central government should inform the Court by collating the data regarding the demand received from all the private and government hospitals for Oxygen cylinders from the Telangana, extent of oxygen received, demand from the State.

On April 27, in the next Status Report, the government is directed to indicate the steps taken to curtail Election Rallies, when the stand of the government is that the GO dated 16-11-2020 applies to all political gatherings as well as other gatherings in open spaces, does not mean that the people thronging and congregations during election rallies are immune to Covid-19.

For further hearing, the matter was adjourned to April 27.