COVID-19: 'Panic will destroy more lives than virus', says SC; directs govt to involve religious leaders to help migrant workers overcome panic

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Centre to ensure that migrant workers kept in shelter homes are given food, medical aid, and also asked it to take assistance of trained counsellers and religious leaders of all faiths to help the migrants overcome their panic as "panic will destroy more lives than the virus".

The court also asked the Central government to set up within 24 hours a portal for dissemination of real-time information on the COVID-19 pandemic to counter the panic and fear being spread through fake news.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the Centre, told a bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justice L Nageswara Rao that no migrant worker, who had left for their native places after being rendered jobless due to a 21-day nationwide lockdown, "is on the road now".

"Panic will destroy more lives than the virus", the bench said, while directing the Centre to provide counseling by trained counsellors and community leaders of all faiths to calm down the migrants who are kept in shelter homes across the country.

"We want to impress upon you that the panic will destroy more lives than the virus. You need counsellors," the bench said, adding, "you can have 'Bhajan, Kirtan, Namaz' or whatever but you have to give strength to the people."
Mehta said trained counsellors of the district mental health programs would be sent, to which the bench said, "there are 620 districts in India. How many counsellors do they have in total?"