As a precautionary measure to tackle the deadly novel coronavirus, the railways has started screening passengers in the running trains with the help of government officials in Kerala.
According to the Railway Ministry officials, the national transporter officials have started the screening of passengers inside the trains in Thiruvanathpuram.
The screening of passengers is being done with the help of a thermal device inside the trains.
Railway officials are also clearing the doubts of passengers regarding the COVID-19, officials said.
Railways Minister Piyush Goyal took to Twitter and told about the measures taken by the government to contain the spread of virus in trains. “Stay Alert, Stay Safe: Railways has started educating & alerting passengers inside trains in Thiruvananthapuram division along with screening them to effectively curb the spread of novel coronavirus.”
Stay Alert, Stay Safe: Railways has started educating & alerting passengers inside trains in Thiruvananthapuram division along with screening them to effectively curb the spread of novel #Coronavirus. pic.twitter.com/FenVScoX82
— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) March 16, 2020
Meanwhile, in New Delhi, the railways has set up a help desk to check the temperature of the passengers as a precautionary measure.
There are sanitisers available for the passengers in the waiting lounge.
Railways has also instructed its officials to keep the train coaches disinfected at proper frequency and keep the taps, pantry, toilets clean at regular intervals.
“Keeping in view the spread of novel coronavirus, blankets and curtains from trains are being removed by the Indian Railways for sanitization,” Jitendra Rai, Senior Coaching Deopt Officer, New Delhi told.
He also told that blanket sanitizer chambers of railways has the capability to sanitise 1200 blankets per day at 40-degree temperature using napthalene balls.
As of now, India reported 110 positive cases of coronavirus including foreign nationals.
At 32, Maharashtra has now overtaken Kerala (22) as the state with the highest number of cases. The worldwide death toll rose to 6,036, with 159,844 infections after 105 died in Spain.