New Delhi: Citing health concerns of people in the wake of steps taken to tackle spread of the coronavirus, the Supreme Court on Thursday told the Centre to ban or regulate within a month use of chemicals and organic disinfectants on the human beings using disinfecting tunnels and not subject them to exposure to artificial ultraviolet rays.
The directives came on a writ petition filed by Gurusimran Singh Narula, seeking a forthwith ban on spraying all kinds of disinfectants on human beings, supposedly to protect them from Covid-19.
A bench of justices Ashok Bhushan, R Subhash Reddy and M R Shah asked the Centre to issue necessary directions in this regard under the powers vested in it under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
Referring to an advisory issued by the Director General of Health Services on April 18 against spraying of disifectants on people for Covid-19 arrangements, the petition said several bodies and organisations have been continuing with the practice.
The petitioner's case is that though the Health Ministry has not approved use of any self-claimed organic or Ayurvedic disinfectant for praying or fumigation purposes.
The petition quotes the World Health Organisation warning that spraying of bleach or other disinfectants does not protect human against Covid-19 and rather it can be dangerous. WHO has also warned that the light from UV lamps should not be used to disinfect hands and other areas of the skin.
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