Concerning the startling situation of COVID-19 in Kerala, the Supreme Court on Friday put on hold a state government order to conduct offline Class 11 exams. The court read: “Children of tender age can’t be exposed to the risk (of contracting the virus)”.
“There is an alarming situation in Kerala. It accounts for more than 70 per cent of cases in the country, with around 35,000 daily cases. Children of tender age can’t be exposed to this risk,” a bench led by Justice AM Khanwilkar, Justice Hrishikesh Roy and Justice CT Ravikumar said.
Justice Roy highlighted the graveness and intensity of the virus by saying, Kerala has one of the best medical infrastructures… but has not been able to contain Covid cases. “I have been Chief Justice of Kerala and I can say Kerala has one of the best medical infrastructures in the country. Despite that, Kerala has not been able to contain Covid cases,” he averred.
The top court was reverted to a petition that was filed against the Kerala High Courts decision to commence offline exams with effect from September 6 catering to the state government’s request. Earlier this week, Dr NK Arora, chief of the government’s Covid panel, said the Zydus Cadila shot (approved for kids between 12 to 17 years old) would be rolled out in October.
As per the government release, “the test positivity rate was a deeply concerning 18.41 per cent.” The Union Health Ministry suggested the state to think of remedial measures to curb the multiplying effect of the virus and plan a”smart and strategic lockdown”. The aggregate Covid case reported in Kerala crossed a whopping 41 lakh with a single day count of 32,000+ cases.
