While the coronavirus has presented an unprecedented opportunity for humanity to unite and stand togther in this hour of need to control the spread of the fatal disease, many are still resorting to inhumane activities.
The resident doctors of AIIMS said that their colleagues were facing eviction from their homes by their landlords, who fear the medical professionals at the forefront of the fight against the novel coronavirus could be infected.
The Resident Doctors Association wrote a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah saying many staffers were ¡°stranded on roads¡± with all their luggage. The association urged Shah to immediately release an order prohibiting landlords from evicting the healthcare professionals working tirelessly against the virus from their rented houses.
Acting swifty against the ghastly act, the government today gave power to zonal Deputy Commissioners to take "strict penal action" against landlords who have been forcing doctors and paramedical staff, engaged in fighting the novel coronavirus, to vacate their rented premises.
According to a government notification, such behaviour "not only strikes at the root of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic but also tantamount to obstruction of duty of essential services".
Invoking the Delhi Epidemics Diseases, Covid-19 Regulations, it said the district magistrates, zonal deputy commissioners of municipal corporations and the deputy commissioner of police are "directed to take strict penal action against such landlords and house owners under the relevant provisions of law".
These officials have also been asked to submit their Action Taken Report on a daily basis.
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had also said he was "deeply anguished" by the reports of medical staff being "ostracised". He reminded the landlords that the whole country had applauded the selfless services of healthcare professionals in these critical times by beating utensils, ringing bells and blowing conch shells from self-quarantine.