HYDERABAD: Taking suo moto notice of the increase in number of Covid-19 cases in Telangana, particularly the recent instances of schoolchildren testing positive, the Telangana High Court, on Thursday, cautioned the State government about the second wave of the virus and directed it to focus on educational institutions, particularly schools and colleges, and take steps to contain spread of the virus.
Further, the Court directed the State to increase the number of tests being conducted per day and to deploy more number of mobile testing vans along interstate borders and at railway stations, airports, construction sites and other congregation areas. The Court also instructed the State to strictly follow the SOP guidelines issued by the Central government on March 1 this year. Testing through RT-PCR is not up to the mark, the court pointed out.
As for the ongoing vaccination drive, the Court directed the state to give adequate publicity and take steps ensuring that the students are not exposed to the virus.A division bench of the court, comprising Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice B Viijaysen Reddy, passed this order in PILs filed on the Covid situation.
The bench also directed the State to file another report on the issue by April 6 and adjourned the case hearing.