Are restrictions on local train travel for unvaccinated people justified now: Bombay HC asks Maharashtra govt

The Bombay High Court on Monday asked the Maharashtra government to inform it about the Covid19 conditions prevailing in Mumbai when restrictions were imposed for the first time on the local train travel for unvaccinated people and their relevance in the current scenario wherein the infection rate was not as high as it used to beA bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice MS Karnik said that at present the rate of coronavirus infections was not as high as it was in 2020 and 2021The bench asked if the state government still believes that the same restrictions on the local train travel and other modes of public transport in Mumbai are warranted at presentYou Maharashtra government will have to address us on what were the conditions then when this restriction was first imposed and whether it is justified today the high court saidThe HC was hearing public interest litigation PIL that has challenged the Maharashtra governments decision to continue insisting that one must be fully vaccinated to travel in local trains and other modes of public transport in MumbaiThe PIL filed by one Firoze Mithiborwala through advocate Nilesh Ojha challenged a state government circular dated March 1 2022 which lists out the standard operating procedures and safety measures citizens must follow in view of the COVID19 pandemic The restriction on public transport including local trains for the unvaccinated was included in this circularMithiborwalas petition said that such restriction was arbitrary unconstitutional and an indirect attempt by the Maharashtra government to make vaccination compulsoryOn Monday responding to the PIL the Maharashtra government filed an affidavit in the high court saying that the restrictions were imposed based on the advice of expertsThe state government said that the death rates in the first second and third waves of the pandemic had been 252 per cent of the total number of people infected 126 per cent and 019 per cent respectivelyThe hospitalisation rate during the three waves was 6922 per cent 3790 per cent and 567 per cent respectively the affidavit saidThe conspicuously low rate of hospitalisation and fatality in the third wave may be attributed to the massive vaccination measures undertaken by the union and the state governments the affidavit saidThe government further submitted that experts had concluded after much research that vaccination provided substantial immunity against coronavirus and the restrictions on the local train travel for the unvaccinated were aimed at preventing a further spread of infectionsConsidering the peculiar pattern of travel in the local trains where the number of passengers in each coach is more than three to five times its maximum capacity there is no possibility of maintaining social distancing the affidavit readAlso any unvaccinated person who is infected but is asymptomatic or unaware is likely to spread the infection to several of his copassengers it readThe state government told HC that so far 876 crore people had taken the first dose of the antiCOVID19 vaccine 687 crore people had taken both doses and 1645 lakh booster doses in MaharashtraThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever