HC Demands State Govt. To File Report On Steps Taken To Tackle Coronavirus

The High Court of Telangana asked the government to submit a report on the various steps that have to be taken to tackle the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19), already spread in several countries and killed several thousand people.

The court passed the order after a bench comprising CJ Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice A. Abhishek Reddy heard Public Interest Litigations (PILs) which alleged that authorities were not taking serious steps to control several diseases like dengue and swine flu that result in deaths in Telangana each year.

The state government informed the court that an entry and exit screening process had been set up at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Hyderabad to detect cases.

Asking if a similar infrastructure was in place at railway stations and bus stops, the court asked the state government to file a report by March 6.

The death toll because of the Covid-19 in mainland China has increased to 2,870, with overall 79,251 cases, according to health authorities. Globally, it is estimated that over 85,000 people in over 50 countries have been infected.

Last week, after 3 deaths in the state due to swine flu, state authorities had said that the Directorate of Public Health was taking measures to curtail the spread of infection from the H1N1 virus.

“As the symptoms of both diseases are similar, several voluntarily came for health check-ups through which we identified swine flu cases and were able to bring down the numbers,” Telangana in-charge Director of Public Health and Family Welfare (DPHFW) G Srinivasa Rao told TNM.

Earlier this week, 3 Telangana ministers including KTR joined people in eating chicken and egg at a fair organized by the poultry industry in Hyderabad on Friday to allay apprehensions that consuming chicken and egg may lead to coronavirus.