Issued directions for compliance of SOP, conducting large-scale Covid-19 testing: Delhi Govt tell HC

However, a division bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad listed the matter for December 23 for further hearing as they could not hear it on December 14 due to paucity of time. The bench asked Delhi Government to file a fresh status report on the next date of hearing.

PTI reports that the bench had orally suggested to the Delhi government to find out in which districts of the city the infection numbers were increasing and said 'we expect you to increase tests in those areas'.

The court had also asked the Delhi government whether it was planning a fifth round of sero survey now that the number of infections was coming down in the national capital.

Delhi government, represented by additional standing counsel Satyakam had stated that the government was waiting for the figures to stabilise before deciding whether to carry out another serosurvey, reports PTI.

ANI reports that the Delhi government, in its last status report filed on December 11, said that directions were issued to the market associations for strict compliance of COVID-19 guidelines.

The status report said various measures were being implemented immediately after the meetings with the RWAs/MTAs including mobile van testing facilities. Masks and sanitizers were also distributed, the status report said.

It said that the Delhi Police were advised to control hawkers on the road and allow them on alternate days only.

It was submitted that the Delhi government has also increased RT-PCR tests from 12,206 on September 12 to nearly 35,000 on December 10.

However, on account of a homogeneous increase in the RT-PCR tests, in some cases, a turnaround of 24 hours was not achieved on account of structural and other associated issues at the end of laboratories.

Due to these measures, incidents of COVID-19 have taken a downward trajectory and the number of cases have substantially reduced in the last 10 days in Delhi from 4067 to 1575 on December 9, the report said.

The court was hearing the petition filed by advocate Rakesh Malhotra seeking large-scale testing in the national capital to identify COVID-19 infections.

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