Coronavirus: Plea in SC seeks more testing labs, quarantine centres

A PIL was filed in the Supreme Court on Monday seeking more authorised laboratories for testing coronavirus, increase in quarantine centres, temporary hospital beds in rural areas and thermal screening at public places to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

The plea, filed by journalist Prashant Tondon and social activist Kunajana Singh, has sought exponential increase in isolation centres and widespread availability of testing labs given the huge population of the country.

The petition filed through advocate Ashima Mandla seeks setting up of temporary hospital beds and availability of other facilities for combating any possible outbreak of the virus in rural India.

The plea, which said that it is imperative to create a nationwide centralised management authority to handle preventive measures, has sought thermal screening at public places.

"Thermal screening is required for persons within the country at all public places including work places, metro stations, railways stations; schools and colleges to name a few, as a precautionary measure to screen persons who may exhibit symptoms of COVID-19 to prevent spreading of the same," the plea said.

A substantive percentage of the Indian population consists of daily wage workers who use public transport, live under unhygienic conditions and do not possess adequate sanitation resulting in spread of COVID-19, it said.

"Without exponentially increasing the number of laboratories, the estimate of the number of persons in our country infected by COVID-19 cannot be determined with accuracy. The number of designated quarantine and isolation centres in the Country appear to be fairly insufficient given the extent of seriousness of the prevailing circumstances," the PIL said.

"It is imperative in larger public interest to review and enhance current capability available in India and create nationwide centralized management authority to handle preventive measure and treatment facilities to inspire, confidence in public at large, who are currently gripped with fear and uncertainty, due lot of misinformation about the situation that's dynamic and unfolding new and unknown dimensions each day," it said.