Set up more COVID-19 testing centres, sample collection infrastructure: HC to Delhi govt

The lawyers claimed that the number of daily tests have gone down to around 60,000 from the over one lakh tests that were being conducted earlier

A medic collects swab sample of people for COVID-19 RT-PCR test outside the SDM Office Rajouri Garden, in West Delhi on April 25,2021.

The Delhi High Court on April 26 requested the AAP government to set up more testing centres in view of the rise in COVID-19 cases in the national capital which is recording around 24,000 fresh infections for the last few days.

A Bench of Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Jasmeet Singh also asked the Delhi government to put in place necessary infrastructure to streamline the sample collection process.

The direction was issued by the court after several lawyers told the bench that they were facing difficulty in getting tested as labs were saying they will carry out sample collection after 2-3 days.

The lawyers claimed that the number of daily tests have gone down to around 60,000 from the over one lakh tests that were being conducted earlier.

Delhi recorded 350 COVID-19 deaths on Sunday and 22,933 cases with a positivity rate of 30.21%. The submissions were made during hearing of a PIL seeking directions to the Delhi government to order hospitals not to insist on COVID-19 positive reports to hospitalise patients who show symptoms of coronavirus.

The Delhi government told the court that its Health department has issued a circular on April 23 directing hospitals in the city not to insist on COVID-19 positive test reports to admit patients who are showing symptoms of coronavirus infection.

The Delhi government told the Bench that such patients would be kept in a dedicated area, in the hospitals, meant for suspected cases.