Don’t use tin sheets to block Covid-19 areas: Madras HC – Times of India

CHENNAI: No more usage of tin sheets to block Covid-19 patients’ houses or streets – This was the cryptic instruction the Madras high court gave Greater Chennai Corporation on Tuesday.
“Please adopt some other procedure, not tin sheets. Even tapes used to mark crime scenes can be used to indicate or warn the public from entering such places,” a division bench of Justice M Sathyanarayanan and Justice R Hemalatha said.
Responding to the instruction, corporation commissioner G Prakash, who appeared before the judges through video conferencing, said the practice had been dispensed with since September 2.
The issue pertains to a public interest writ petition filed R Priyanka, an advocate, who wanted the court to direct the corporation not to force Covid-19 patients with mild infection and asymptomatic to go for institutional quarantine.
She alleged that the entrance to her house was completely blocked by the authorities who fixed tin sheets in front of the doors blocking their access to even basic needs.
Recording the same, the court on October 6, questioned the rationale behind blocking the entry to houses of Covid-19 positive patients with tin sheets.
This apart, the petitioner had alleged that her husband was admitted in Guru Nanak School, which was converted into a Covid-19 quarantine facility, where toilets and other facilities were very unhygienic.
When the plea came up for hearing on Tuesday, the bench said, “People who are admitted in such Covid-19 care facilities should not get other infections due to unclean toilets.”
Responding to the observation, additional advocate general S R Rajagopal said, “So far about 1.15 lakh people have been admitted in such care centres and have been discharged after cure. Covid centres are habitable and safe.”
As to use of tin sheets, he submitted that the corporation would ascertain the alternative methods that can be used and report to the court. Recording the submission, the bench adjourned the hearing to December 22.