Calcutta HC directs WB govt to submit report on steps taken to fight COVID-19

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday directed the West Bengal government to file a report on steps taken by it in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak in the state. Hearing a PIL through a video conference, a division bench of the high court directed the state government to submit the report through e-mail by April 16, when the matter will be taken up again.

The bench, comprising justices Dipankar Datta and Joymalya Bagchi, asked the state to ensure that proper safety measures are taken for the healthcare staff dealing with patients and people suspected to have contracted the disease. Petitioner's lawyer Bikash Bhattacharya alleged that doctors, nurses, paramedics and other healthcare staff, who are on the front lines of fighting the coronavirus pandemic, were not being given proper protective gears.

He also claimed that tests of suspected coronavirus- infected persons were not being done as per guidelines of the Indian Council of Medical Research. Bhattacharya, representing petitioner Fuad Halim, also alleged that all data regarding the tests done and number of people afflicted with the dreaded virus were not being shared by the government.

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