CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Monday directed the State and Central governments to ensure students heading abroad to study are prioritised for Covid-19 vaccination.“With several countries now opening up and allowing international travellers... this aspect of the matter gains even more significance,” the first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy observed.
The bench made the observation on a suo motu plea on the State government’s management of the Covid-19 crisis. It was informed of the plight of students who wish to study abroad and of those who live abroad and had come to India for a short visit.The bench said both the Centre and State should look into such aspects so the aspirations and convenience of a number of citizens can be taken care of. It also suggested that passport numbers are mentioned on the vaccination certificates.
The bench then expressed its satisfaction with the preparedness of the Central and State governments. “In view of the reports filed, which indicate the allocation of vaccines to the State and the Union Territory for June, the allocation of the cocktail of drugs necessary to treat Covid, and the allocation of drugs to deal with mucormycosis, the Centre appears to be on the right track,” it said.