The Centre informed the Supreme Court Tuesday that it has taken "proactive and preemptive timely steps" to deal with the coronavirus pandemic due to which its spread is so far contained but fake news causing serious panic, is the "single most unmanageable hindrance" in the management of this challenge.
In a status report filed in the apex court, the government has given details of the steps taken, including enhancement of testing capacity and issuance of order to purchase 40,000 ventilators to meet the contingencies, to prevent coronavirus or Covid-19 and its spread in the country.
"It is submitted that as narrated in subsequent part of this status report, deliberate or inadvertent fake news and/or material capable of causing serious panic in the mind of population is found to be a single most unmanageable hindrance in the management of this challenge," it said.
The Centre has said that it would be setting up a separate unit, headed by a joint secretary level officer in the Ministry of Health and consisting of eminent doctors from recognised institutions like AIIMS, to answer every query of citizens and to provide real time and true facts regarding Covid-19.
"The detailed modalities in this behalf would immediately be worked out and the details regarding the web portal which can be approached by citizens for true, genuine, scientific and correct factual position will be displayed immediately," it said.
The status report was filed by the Centre in two separate pleas which have raised the issue of migration amid coronavirus spread and 21-day lockdown across the country.
In its status report, the government has apprised the apex court about the sequence of steps taken by it after China announced on January 7 about coronavirus.
It said that on January 7 itself, the Union health secretary addressed all state health secretaries to examine and take necessary actions for adequate hospital preparedness to meet "with any possible emergency".
"On January 18, 2020, thermal screening for detection of fever was started for all passengers coming from China and Hong Kong at three international airports," the status report said, adding, "By March 4, thermal screening was initiated for all international flights."
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