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The Uttarakhand High Court on Wednesday directed to the State government to review its decision to relax the weekend Covid-19 lockdown as the tourists  into hill stations such as Nainital may bring in and introduce the dreaded “Delta plus variant” in the state. 

The Division Bench of Chief Justice RS Chauhan and Justice Alok Kumar Verma were hearing a bunch of pleas regarding the management of COVID-19 in the State.

The Bench directed SS Sandhu, Chief Secretary, to inform the court whether the state government has taken any decision about tightening the lockdown during the weekends. It directed the government to take steps to control the inflow of tourists and inform the public about them.

The Bench further directed Mr. Amit Negi, the learned Secretary, Medical Health and Family Welfare, to inform the Court about the number of samples sent to the NCDC, the reports received from the NCDC with regard to these samples and then steps taken, either by the District Magistrate, or by the Health Officers of the concerned district where anyone is found to be suffering from the Delta variant, or from the Delta plus variant.

The Bench noted that there are media reports which clearly reveal that the hill stations of the State are being inundated by tourists every weekend. Due to the great influx of tourists, social distancing is not being maintained, many of the tourists do not bother to comply with the SOP for COVID-19, most to them are found to be without masks and  many of them do not use sanitizer.

“According to Dainik Jagran, Haldwani edition, dated 07.07.2021, many of these tourists are entering the State without registration, or/and without the required RT-PCR reports. Furthermore, according to the media reports, many of “the negative reports” are found to be forged as in the case of Haridwar, and now in the case of Tehri,” observed Bench

The Court issued the following directions to the State Government:

• Mr. Amit Negi is further directed to inform this Court with regard to the number of MRI machines available in the Government Hospitals of the State.

a. Whether these MRI machines are available in all the Government Hospitals or not?

b. In which Government Hospitals of the State, the MRI machines are not available in the State?

c. Whether all the CHCs’ have doctors appointed in them or not?

d. A complete list of CHCs without doctors should be provided in the report.

• Mr. Amit Negi is further directed to inform this Court with regard to the availability of the pediatric beds, pediatric ventilators, and pediatric wards in the Government Hospitals, and in the private hospitals operating in the State. vi.
• He is further directed to inform this Court with regard to the position of vaccination in the State. He shall inform this Court with regard to the number of innoculation carried out in each district of the State.

How many persons have received the first doze? How many persons have received the second doze? What is the daily rate of vaccination in the State?

• He is further directed to consider, and to implement the scheme for vaccinating the physically challenged and elderly people, as expeditiously as possible. In case, “near to home clinics” can be established, the possibility for the same should be explored by the State Government.
• Mr. Amit Negi is further directed to consider the possibility of increasing the stipend being paid to the intern doctors. For, on the one hand, according to Mr. Amit Negi, it is difficult to attract the doctors to the State, yet, on the other hand, the stipend being paid to the intern doctors is too low as compared to the other States. Therefore, the State Government should consider the possibility of increasing the stipend of intern doctors within the State.  
• Lastly, Mr. S.S. Sandhu, the learned Chief Secretary is directed to inform this Court with regard to the decision, if any, taken by the State Government concerning tightening of the lockdown during the weekends in the State.

The Court has directed to submit the reports on or before 26^th July.

On the live streaming of the Char Dham Temples the learned Advocate General Babulkar informed that the State Government has referred the matter of live streaming of the Char Dham temples to the Char Dham Devasthanam Board. Therefore, time is sought to inform the Bench whether the live streaming of the pujas and archanas, carried out within the sanctum sanctorum of the Char Dham temples, would be possible or not.

The matter will be take up next on 28^th July, 2021.

 

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