With the latest infections, the number of cases rose to 12,735.

The Supreme Court on Friday welcomed the reduction in rates for Covid-19 testing in Delhi and asked the Centre to consider issuing uniform rates to all states and Union Territories for availing Covid treatment facilities.

The direction came from a bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, S K Kaul and M R Shah, which perused an affidavit filed by the Centre. The bench had on June 12 taken suo motu cognizance of the “grim” situation in the wake of the pandemic in the national capital and some other states and asked them to file affidavits explaining what was being done to remedy the situation.

The Centre’s affidavit said it had set up a Committee comprising V K Paul, Member, NITI Aayog, representative of the AIIMS and representative of the NCT government and that based on its report, “has already taken a decision for reducing the amount of test in the NCT Delhi”.

Noting this, the bench said “the Union of India may issue appropriate guidelines/directions to all the States/Union Territories with regard to prescribing reasonable rates of various Covid related facilities/test etc., which need to be uniformly followed by all concerned”.