J&K High Court Friday issued notice to government asking it to respond by July 29 to a plea seeking implementation of recommendations by an apex level advisory committee on separation of asymptomatic Covid-19 cases at their home.
A division bench of Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Sanjay Dhar issued notice on the plea while hearing a Public Interest Litigation on its own motion related to Covid 19.
Advocate Mian Tufail has filed the application before the court seeking directions for implementing the recommendations of the apex level advisory committee. In June this year, the committee constituted by the government has made certain recommendations with regard to Covid 19 including one suggesting separation of asymptomatic Covid-19 cases at their home.
The applicant submits before the court that the committee was constituted in view of the rising number of covid positive cases in J&K and it came up came up with a comprehensive policy with regard to treatment protocol and related medical issues.
The applicant submitted that one of the most important issues at this stage was the dearth of the beds in the hospitals for which the apex committee has come up with recommendations with regard to isolation and discharge policy of Covid 19 positive cases.
He pleaded that a classification has been done by the committee by virtue of which procedure has been laid down with regard to the patients who are asymptomatic. “And it has been suggested that the patients who are educated have insight into the illness and show responsibility to the community and have isolation facility can be safely isolated at home with certain pre-conditions to be followed.”
Besides seeking direction for an immediate decision on the recommendations of the apex level advisory committee, the applicant is seeking direction to the authorities concerned to examine the Covid positive patients before keeping them in the hospital.
“In case it is found that the case is asymptomatic he or she should be kept in home isolation as per the recommendations of the committee,” he pleads.
He submits that Policy of the asymptomatic patients in home isolation has been followed by almost all states of the country as the same is in public as well as in patients’ interest.