All eyes may have been on Novak Djokovic at the Men's Singles final at Wimbledon last week as he won yet another grand slam title, but for the Bombay High Court the real sight to behold was a stadium full of spectators without masks.
Wondering when India would see the return of this level of normalcy, the court noted that "vaccinating everyone" was the key to it. A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G S Kulkarni was hearing PILs (public interest litigation) on the COVID-19 pandemic situation in Maharashtra and the state government's preparedness to face a possible third wave.
"The Wimbledon finals was the sight of the year. We don't know if you saw it, but not a single person was wearing a mask," the HC told Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni.
"The stadium was jam-packed and nobody but one lone woman was wearing a mask. One Indian cricketer was also present and he was without a mask too," the judges said.
"When will India see such a situation? Vaccinating everyone is the key to it," the HC said. A third wave of the pandemic has reportedly arrived in some states, it said.
"There are reports saying third wave has set in in two states in the North-East. We have to take measures," the judges said, adding that "we are in much more comfortable situation now" but there should not be any "lowering of guard from here". They have read news reports about active cases of the delta-plus variant of coronavirus being detected in Maharashtra, and the state must act to prevent the spread of infection, the judges said. The HC will hear the PILs next after three weeks.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU