New Delhi: The Central government has informed the Supreme Court that using disinfection tunnels is clinically and psychologically harmful and appropriate directions regarding its ban will be issued by tomorrow. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has filed its affidavit before the court in the plea seeking a ban on disinfecting tunnels including its usage, installation, production and advertisement.
The affidavit states that the government never advised fogging or fumigating in its guidelines on disinfection of common public places and environment cleaning. No advisory for usage of disinfection tunnels for disinfecting human beings in workplace, office, and public places has been issued by the government.
The Centre has informed the court that when media had reported that persons from the public were being sprayed with chemicals and exposed to such chemicals through walk in tunnels, the government conducted a meeting of its Joint Monitoring Committee in April. The committee had recommended that spraying of disinfectants is physically and psychologically harmful and isn’t recommended under any circumstances. It said that while these chemicals are harmful to human skin and mucous membrane of respiratory tract if inhaled, external spraying of these chemicals will not kill a virus that has already entered a person’s body.
The committee that comprised of Directorate General of Health Services, and experts from World Health Organization, National Centre for Disease Control, Indian Council of Medical Research, AIIMS, Experts from Central Government Hospitals, etc, has observed that spraying disinfectants is not recommended in both health-care and non-health care settings.
The affidavit states that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare hasn’t written any letter or issued any advisory on use of ultra violet lights for disinfection of humans for Covid19 management. As public health and hospitals are a state subject, the states need to implement the guidelines issued by the Ministry and Union Government’s role is limited to providing guidance and financial support.
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The affidavit has been filed in a plea by Gursimran Singh Narula seeking directions to ban on the usage, installation, production, advertisement of disinfection tunnels involving spraying or fumigation of chemical disinfectants for the purpose of disinfecting human beings
-India Legal Bureau