Highlights:
- 872 railways employees, ex-employees and their kin tested positive for COVID-19
- 559 were reported from the Central Railway while 313 were from the Western Railway
- As many as 86 of them have already lost their lives to the deadly virus
In the latest development of the Coronavirus pandemic, it was reported that as many as 872 employees, former employees of the Central Railway and the Western Railway and their family members have tested positive for the novel Coronavirus. Officials have also said that as many as 86 of them have already lost their lives to the deadly virus.
Officials added that all of the people who tested positive were admitted to the Western Railways Jagjivan Ram Hospital. This hospital, in April, was decalred a facility for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
Of the total cases, 313 were reported from the Western Railway while 559 were reported from the Central Railway.
Out of the 86 people who lost their lives because of the novel Coronavirus, 22 were currently working in Railway – 14 were from Central Railways while 8 were from Western Railway – and the others included their family members and the former employees of the Indian Railways
Currently, there are 132 railway employees, apart from their family members and the former employees, who are being treated for the novel Coronavirus at the hospital, said the officials.
As of now, there are some special trains, goods trains and 700 local train with the limited number of passengers which are operating by both the Western Railway and the Central Railway.
There are some railway unions which are claiming that since the local train services were resumed i.e. 15th of June, there has been a surge in the cases of COVID-19 among the railway employees.
Venu Nair, President of National Railway Mazdoor Union said, “The state government allowed only 15 to 30 per cent attendance in offices, but in the railways, nearly 100 per cent field staff personnel are working since the resumption of suburban train services,”.
However, the zonal railways claim that there is no connection between the rise in cases of Coronavirus and the resumption of train services.
Shivaji Sutar, Chief Public Relations Officer of the Central Railway said that the company is taking utmost case to prevent the spread of the novel Coronavirus among the employees and the passengers.
He said, “We are taking every possible step for the safety of railway employees and passengers and ensuring social distancing. We are providing masks, sanitisers and all other safety equipment to our employees,”. He added that after the COVID-19 outbreak, the Central Railway launched a “Rail Parivar Dekhrekh” drive which would make sure that the safety of the railway employees gets paramount importance.
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