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Kerala Kaumudi Online
Tuesday, 19 March 2024 4.16 PM IST

Amid massive spike in Covid cases, Supreme Court asks Centre, states to consider imposing lockdown

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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India on Sunday advised the central and state governments to consider a lockdown to break the chain of Covid transmission. The country's top court passed an order in this regard after hearing from officials over measures being taken to counter the second wave of the pandemic.

"In light of the continuing surge of infections in the second wave of the pandemic, we direct the Central Government and State Governments to put on record the efforts taken to curb the spread of the virus and the measures that they plan on taking in the near future," said the Supreme Court.

The order went on to say, "At the same time, we would seriously urge the Central and State Governments to consider imposing a ban on mass gatherings and super spreader events. They may also consider imposing a lockdown to curb the virus in the second wave in the interest of public welfare."

India's Apex Court also said that arrangements must be made to protect vulnerable sections during a lockdown.

"We are cognizant of the socio-economic impact of a lockdown, specifically, on the marginalized communities. Thus, in case the measure of a lockdown is imposed, arrangements must be made beforehand to cater to the needs of these communities," said the Supreme Court order.

In March of last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had declared a nationwide lockdown in a bid to break the chain of transmission. While experts are divided on whether the lockdown could have been planned better, the suddenness of the move led to thousands of migrant workers taking to the streets and walking for days to return to their native homes.

India recorded 3.92 lakh new confirmed cases of infection on Sunday. At the same time, the virus claimed another 3,689 lives across the country in the last 24 hours. This sharp surge in cases is putting tremendous pressure on the country's healthcare system, resulting in a shortage of hospital beds and medical oxygen-related equipment.

A number of stringent restrictions, including night and weekend curfews, and the enforcement of Section 144 of CrPC are already being imposed in parts of the country by various state governments.

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TAGS: COVID CASES, SUPREME COURT, CENTRE, MASSIVE SPIKE, COVID TRANSMISSION, TOP COURT, SECOND WAVE OF PANDEMIC, CENTRAL, STATE GOVERNMENTS
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