Bombay High Court: A Division Bench of S.J. Kathawalla and Surendra P. Tavade, JJ. while addressing a petition sought clarification from the expert committee as to:
Whether by a mere touch of a person carrying COVID19 virus, the virus can be transmitted to the person so touched?
DGCA had laid emphasis on minutes of meeting of the Expert Committee held on 26th May, 2020 to review and further strengthen the public health related protocols of air travel.
Bench noted the following statements from the said minutes:
Paragraph 12 :
“The physical distance between two persons helps in minimizing the transmission through an inadvertent touch”
Paragraph 14 :
“It was also suggested that if the person sitting adjacent to another person is provided with a protective suit (like a gown covering the upper part of the body and gloves), this can also be very good means of preventing the spread of virus either by droplets or by touch.”
Paragraph 14 :
“The Committee felt that providing protective gowns to intervening passengers (passengers who are seated between two persons) would also minimise the risk of transmission through an inadvertent touch while in the aircraft or while boarding or alighting.”
Thus, Court sought for clarification from the expert committee whether by merely touching a person with COVID19 the same could be transmitted to the person who touched.
Matter to be listed on 5th June, 2020.[Deven Yogesh Kanani v. DGCA, AD-HOC-No. WP-LD-VC-3 of 2020, decided on 4-06-2020]
