The Gujarat High Court has said that the coronavirus crisis in the state is “very frightening” and that the government must prepare itself to deal with the worst situation, PTI reported on Monday.

The court, in an order on August 17, directed the state’s chief secretary to form a committee of five senior bureaucrats to prepare a report on the condition of hospitals treating coronavirus patients. The court was hearing a public interest litigation asking for details of the state government’s preparedness to deal with the health crisis.

“The picture that emerges as regards the conditions prevailing as on date in the state of Gujarat is quite frightening,” the Gujarat High Court bench, comprised of Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice JB Pardiwala, said. “Although all the necessary steps are being taken to combat the situation of Covid-19 pandemic, yet the machinery needs to gear up and the state should be prepared to meet with the worst of the situation.”

The court said that the team of senior officials will inspect government hospitals in Gujarat, especially those in Vadodara, Bhavnagar, Rajkot and Gandhinagar. “There is a lot of hue and cry at various civil hospitals regarding the treatment and services,” the court said. “We direct the committee members to prepare a comprehensive report as regards to the conditions prevailing in all civil hospitals/government hospitals in the state of Gujarat where Covid-19 patients are being treated.”

The Gujarat High Court bench said that the members of the committee must look into the lack of facilities at the hospitals very minutely. The court directed the state government to submit the detailed report on the hospitals by September 4, which is the next date of hearing of the case.

The High Court noted that the improving Covid-19 situation in Surat city appeared to show an encouraging trend, according to The Indian Express. The court added similar efforts to contain the coronavirus must be replicated in other cities too.

Gujarat has reported over 84,000 coronavirus cases and 2,908 deaths so far, according to data from the state government.