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    Worse may be ahead of us, says SC; seeks report as covid cases spike in Delhi, Gujarat

    Synopsis

    The court said the situation is "going out of control" in Gujarat. "Things have worsened in Delhi especially in November. You file a status report on what steps have been taken," a bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan told Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain, who was appearing for Delhi government.

    Supreme-Court-bccl
    The Supreme Court on Monday expressed the fear that the recent spurt in Covid cases may further surge in the days ahead and sought a fresh status report from the state governments, including Delhi and Gujarat, on their preparedness to meet the challenges ahead.

    A three-judge bench, led by Justice Ashok Bhushan, was dealing with a case it had taken up suo motu to ensure dignity for those dead due to Covid, following reports that the dead bodies were being disposed of in a cursory manner.

    Turning its attention to the bleak Covid situation in many states, the bench said: “The situation this month is likely to further worsen and state governments have to gear up for action that needs to be taken,” and asked the Union Home Ministry to file a fresh affidavit on the steps taken so far.

    “Things have worsened in the last two weeks in Delhi. We need a status report to understand bottle-necks, if any, with regard to Covid patient management,” Justice Bhushan observed.

    Solicitor General Tushar Mehta assured the court that apart from the steps taken by the Delhi-NCR government, the Home Ministry was also taking steps to deal with the situation in Delhi.

    The bench asked him to file an affidavit enumerating the steps taken so far and others which are in the offing in two days so that the court can address the issue again on Friday.

    The bench demanded several answers from Delhi and Gujarat where the cases have shown a huge spike. “We want to know how you are managing the situation,” the bench asked the Delhi government which was represented by ASG Sanjay Jain. “Are there enough beds?”

    Jain said beds had been reserved for Covid patients in all hospitals. These include 115 private hospitals which have set aside 80% of their beds for Covid patients, he said.

    Mehta said the home ministry has had a meeting with the NCR administration and many directives have been issued to streamline the process. But Delhi needs to do more, he said.

    Justice MR Shah, who was part of the bench with Justice R Subhash Reddy, sought to know what Gujarat was doing to control the spread of the disease. “What steps are you taking with respect to political events etc,” he asked the state counsel, referring to large congregations that have been blamed for the spread of Covid.

    The state said an affidavit would be filed enumerating all steps taken to deal with the problem. The bench adjourned the hearing to allow other badly affected states such as Maharashtra and Assam to file their replies as well.

    “Worse things may happen in December if states are not well prepared,” the bench observed. Maharashtra has the highest incidence of Covid in the country.



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