'Ignoring COVID-19 is like inviting Trojan Horse', HC slams State Govt for low rate of testing

Telangana cannot hide behind a "fig leaf of financial constraints", the high court said on Tuesday as it slammed the K Chandrashekar Rao government over the low rate of coronavirus tests in the state.

"Ignoring coronavirus by not testing is like inviting a Trojan horse," the court said as it came down heavily on the government over its handling of the pandemic.

Human life is "most important for good governance" , the court said as it observed that no testing is being done in high-risk cases. The state has reported over 1,920 cases so far and 56 deaths linked to the highly contagious illness.

The court asked about the testing figures from May 1 to 25, specifically for Nirmal and Suryapet districts. 

All bodies in the state will be tested for COVID-19 before they are handed over to the families, Telangana High Court said on Tuesday, cancelling a previous order by the state government. Last month, the Director of Public Health had issued an order to stop testing samples collected from bodies.

Five different petitions were filed in the court over the handling of the outbreak in the state. 

The court also sought details of the number of migrants tested for COVID-19 after they returned to the southern during the lockdown. It also asked details about the protocol adopted by the state to declare districts from red to orange to green. 

"How many migrants returned? How many of them tested positive and how many of them were sent to quarantine" the court asked, underlining that a stock of the situation needs to be taken in the villages.

Last week, the Gujarat High court had also slammed the state over high number of deaths at a government hospital, calling it "as good as a dungeon". The court pointed out that "poor and helpless patients had no option" but to rely on the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad during this medical crisis.

Across India, nearly 1.45 lakh have coronavirus , more than 4,000 have died. 

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