The use of disinfectants on people is not recommended as part of COVID-19 management, the Centre said in an affidavit to the Supreme Court on Monday. The Centre on Monday informed the Supreme Court that disinfectant tunnels were not recommended and can clinically and psychologically cause harm.
The Bench was headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan comprising Justices R Subhash Reddy and MR Shah. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta was appearing for the Centre. He assured the Bench that appropriate guidelines will be issued by Tuesday. Mehta also sought a week to submit the affidavit.
A public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Gursimran Singh Narula, a final-year law student, has sought direction to ban the production, usage, advertisement, or installments of tunnels, Livemint reported. The PIL pointed out that the World Health Organization (WHO) and other scientific authorities have warned about the after-effects of using such disinfectant tunnels.
Narula informed the court that the use of such tunnels may prevent people from washing hands and following physical distancing. He added that the tunnels are ‘non-consensual medical experimentation’ on human beings. The Bench will hear the matter in two weeks.
An advisory to this effect was also earlier issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The advisory stated, “Spraying of individuals or groups is not recommended under any circumstances. Spraying an individual or group with chemical disinfectants is physically and psychologically harmful. Even if a person is potentially exposed to the COVID-19 virus, spraying the external part of the body does not kill the virus that has entered your body.”