Will hang anyone who stops oxygen supply: HC
The Delhi High Court on Saturday asked the Centre about the preparedness to deal with the expected COVID-19 second wave peak in mid-May, terming the mounting cases as a ‘Tsunami’, and also warned it will “hang” any person who tries to obstruct oxygen supplies to hospitals here. The court asked the Centre and the Delhi government to submit a report by April 26, the next date of hearing, with regard to augmentation of the medical infrastructure -- like beds, oxygen, ventilators, medical staff and medicines -- to deal with the expected peak of the pandemic.
The Delhi High Court on Saturday asked the Centre about the preparedness to deal with the expected COVID-19 second wave peak in mid-May, terming the mounting cases as a ‘tsunami’.
Talking tough, a bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli said this during a special three-hour long hearing on a holiday on the issue of escalating oxygen crisis in various hospitals in Delhi.
The court said the viral disease has a low mortality and those who have a low immunity will eventually die but the problem comes when people who could be saved are also dying. “The mortality rate needs to be reduced.”
Referring to a study by a team of scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, the court noted its assessment that the peak of this COVID wave will come in midMay.
“We are calling it a wave, it is actually a tsunami,” the court said, and asked the Centre about the preparedness in terms of infrastructure, hospitals, medical staff, medicines, vaccines and oxygen as on date for the peak.
It asked the Centre and the Delhi government to submit a report by April 26, the next date of hearing, with regard to the national capital on the augmentation of the medical infrastructure -- like beds, oxygen, ventilators and medicines. Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, said there might be a rapid rise in the number of cases in May and June.
“We are calling it a wave, it is actually a tsunami,” the court said, and asked the Centre about the preparedness