File status report on Covid-19 in state: HC to TS govt

Hyderabad: A Telangana High Court Bench comprising Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice C. Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy on 4 August heard a batch of Public Interest Litigations (PILs) regarding Covid-19 issues. The Bench has directed the state government to submit a status report on Covid-19 in the state.

The advocate general informed the court that the Covid situation in the state is stable now and said no deaths are being reported in the state. If any extraordinary situation arises, the state government is ready to take steps to protect the public, and therefore the batch of PILs may be closed, the advocate general submitted.

However, the petitioner's counsel argued that the World Health Organisation has warned countries that the fourth wave will continue till 31 October 2022.

The Disaster Management Guidelines and the Provisions of the Epidemic Diseases (Prevention) Act 1893 are in force and the Central government has issued guidelines on 9 June to all states to take precautions in view of the rising Covid-19 cases. States that saw cases above 1,000 have been asked to take precautions, said the petitioners' counsel.

Moreover, in the coming days, many festivals will be celebrated in the state and people will congregate in large numbers. Under these circumstances, the batch of Covid-19 PIL may not be closed, the petitioners' counsel said.

According to the health bulletin issued by the TS health department, the state reported 1,000 cases in August for the first time after the Omicron variant was identified. Telangana saw 1,061 new cases on 4 August and 1,054 cases on 2 August.