Satish Kumar Sharma,j. - (1.) This petition has been registered as Public Interest Litigation upon the letter received from Mr. Sehban Naqvi, Advocate.
(2.) The State Government and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) through Union of India are directed to be impleaded as party respondents in the matter.
(3.) The world is facing greatest challenge of pandemic Covid-19. Our country is at the verge of Stage-3 of Pandemic. We stand at 145th position in medical and health services. In order to control the pandemic the Central Government as well as State Government(s) have taken appreciable steps, however taking note of the fact that the pandemic is mainly spreading due to human contacts with already infected persons and as per news reports it has not been totally curbed, therefore, in the interest of public at large, following directions are issued for strict compliance:- 1. The State Government shall ensure that all the departments engaged in prevention of pandemic, regularly review the situation on daily basis and issue appropriate instructions as needed. 2. A multi-tier mechanism for close watch and monitoring be evolved to ensure strict compliance of the directions leaving no smallest lapse at any level. 3. The personnel engaged in essential duties be provided sanitizers and good quality masks, as recognized by the competent medical agencies. By close supervision it be ensured that no such personnel remain on duty without covering his or her face with mask. While on duty all such personnel shall keep minimum of two meters to each other. 4. No private or public gathering shall be allowed in the name of function or meeting except in emergent and extremely necessary situation, that too, with prior permission of the concerned authorities, but in that case also it shall be strictly ensured that no person shall remain without covering his face with masks and maintain minimum required distance of two meters with each other. 5. No person shall be allowed to come out without covering his face with masks even for purchase of essential households or medicines or for any other emergent purpose. 6. The Government machinery shall strictly take all effective measures to ensure compliance of lock-down and other similar steps announced or to be announced to control the pandemic. 7. All the measures and precautions be widely disseminated through print, electronic and social media through an appropriate designated officer on a daily basis till the pandemic is brought under control.;