Chennai:
The Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the Centre and state government to expedite Covid vaccination for persons travelling out of the country, especially students, who are due for their second dose.
The first bench’s direction came in a case taken up on its own on Covid-19 management in the state and the Union Territory of Puducherry.
The bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy, however, closed the plea after it gave the directive.
The court had taken up the case in April on the basis of reports of shortage of drugs, beds and oxygen availability in the state.
On Tuesday when the matter came up for hearing, the bench said the situation was now under control and opined that the Centre and state government seemed more prepared to deal with another surge than during the second wave.
The court, however, asked that “the facilities developed on an emergency basis to deal with the second surge are not dismantled immediately, so that in the event there is a third surge within the next four to six months, the same may be tackled with adequate facilities at hand.”
“It was the endeavour of the Court to monitor several aspects during the peak of the second surge and the suo motu proceedings appear to have at least provided a platform for the Central and State Governments to come together and ensure supplies of drugs, oxygen and other essentials to the State and the Union Territory (of Puducherry),” the bench said.
