4 SC judges, 150 staff members tests positive for Covid-19

|HT|

At least four Supreme court judges have tested positive for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) so far. Around 150 staff members have also been infected as the Covid-19 situation is worsening in the country.

The top court has a total working strength of 32 judges, while 3,000 staff members also work there.

Covid-19 cases in India have risen six fold in the seven days. On Monday, the country logged nearly 1.80 lakh cases of infections in the last 24 hours, which pushed India's infection tally to 3,57,07,727.

Cases of Omicron variant are also spreading rapidly with numbers now breaching the 4,000-mark. According to the latest figures by the Union ministry of health, there are 4,033 cases of the highly transmissible strain. Maharashtra was at the top with 1,126 cases, followed by Rajasthan (529), Delhi (513), Karnataka (441) and Kerala (333), according to the health ministry.

The daily positivity rate in the country rose to 13.29 per cent, according to Union health ministry data released on Monday morning. On January 2, the apex court decided to shift to the virtual mode of hearings in view of the rapid rise in the daily cases. A circular issued in this regard stated that an earlier circular prescribing standard operating procedure for physical hearing (hybrid hearing) will remain suspended for the time being.

Meanwhile, a Covid-19 testing facility has been set up in the premises of the Supreme Court and is open from Monday to Saturday. "In view to contain the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus infection and sudden upsurge in the cases of Omicron variant of the coronavirus, it is reiterated that the entrants to the Supreme Court premises, i.e. the registry staff, staff of the coordinate agencies, advocates and their staff etc., particularly those who may be showing any symptom(s) similar to those notified for Covid-19 infection(s), may kindly get themselves tested at such facility...," a circular read.

(Except for the headline and the pictorial description, this story has not been edited by THE DEN staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)