It’s tsunami, not wave, says High Court

New Delhi, April 24

The Delhi High Court on Saturday asked the Centre about the preparedness to deal with the expected Covid-19 second wave peak in mid-May. Terming the mounting cases as a “tsunami”, it warned to “hang” any person trying to obstruct oxygen supplies to hospitals here.

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The Bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli said this during a three-hour hearing on the issue of oxygen crisis in various hospitals in Delhi.

“We are calling it a wave, it is actually a tsunami,” the court said, and asked the Centre about the preparedness in terms of infrastructure, hospitals, medical staff, medicines, vaccines and oxygen as on date for the peak.

It asked the Centre and the Delhi Government to submit a report by April 26, the next date of hearing, with regard to the national capital on the augmentation of the medical infrastructure, including beds, oxygen, ventilators, medical staff and medicines, to deal with the expected peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, said there might be a rapid rise in the number of cases in May and June. — TNS/PTI