HC seeks report on time need to declare Covid test result

The high court on Friday asked the government a report on the standard time needed to declare the 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 the issues surrounding Covid-19.

During the hearing, the Chief Justice gave an example of tests conducted on 14 people, including judicial officers at National Games Village Complex in Koramangala. 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,’’ Chief Justice Oka said.

The government and the BBMP should clarify whether an individual could get the test done at a private laboratory on his own. Whether a person tested positive could also visit a private hospital and get admitted without requiring the intervention of the district health officer, the bench said.

The court also asked the Palike to clarify on the standard time taken by the civic agency’s staff to reach out to a person who tested
positive.