Karnataka HC seeks report from govt on time frame for Covid-19 test results

The Karnataka High Court on Friday asked the government to submit a report on the standard time needed to declare a swab test result for Covid-19.

"Time lag is crucial in such cases,’’ observed a division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Aravind Kumar while hearing a batch of petitions on Covid-19 issues.

During the hearing, the chief justice gave an example of tests conducted on 14 people, including judicial officers at the National Games Village Complex in Koramangala.

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The swab samples were collected on July 4, while the test results were still awaited, the chief justice said. "The test results have not come. Fourteen people on one floor are now in quarantine."

The government and the BBMP should clarify whether an individual can get the test done at a private laboratory and whether a person who tests positive can also visit a private hospital and get admitted without requiring the intervention of the district health officer, the bench said.

It asked the Palike to clarify the standard time taken to reach out to a person who tests positive.