Kriti Agrawal
The High Court of Bombay in Goa directed the state government on Thursday to ensure that no one enters the state without a Covid-19 negative certificate from May 10 onwards.
The interim order was issued on Thursday when the division bench of Justice M S Sonak and Justice M S Jawalkar was hearing a slew of petitions urging the Court to direct the state government to take steps to combat the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the state, such as enforcing a lockdown, testing those arriving in the state, and making information about hospital bed availability accessible.
The Court, “We see no justification in the State of Goa not insisting upon a negative certificate from persons who seek entry into Goa at this crucial juncture when reports indicate that the positivity rate in Goa is as high as 52%. This should be affected from May 10 so that travelers in transit are not inconvenienced.”
Although noting that there could be logistical issues, the court stated that this should not preclude the state from developing a protocol to ensure the entry of vital supply vehicles and essential personnel by ensuring checking facilities at borders or entry points.
The Court also ordered the state government to file an affidavit by March 10 outlining the measures it had taken to improve the medical infrastructure.
“The affidavit must also indicate whether there is some thought process on the issue of lockout, now that the situation has spiraled out of control.” the Court stated in its order.
It also took note of a statement released on May 1 by the Goa Association of Resident Doctors about attacks on doctors and health workers by patients’ relatives.