Railways to modify 20,000 coaches into Covid-19 isolation wards
By Newsmeter Network Published on 1 April 2020 3:01 PM GMTHighlights
- Railway employees are donating their one day's salary to PM CARE Fund
Hyderabad: The Railways, on 1 April, announced that it is converting around 20,000 coaches to isolation centres to accommodate over three lakh beds. The ministry also said the Railway employees are donating their salary for one day and contributing Rs. 151 crores towards the PM-CARE fund.
According to a statement released by the Railway ministry, five zones have already built prototypes of isolation coaches. On 31 March, Lallaguda railway officials from the South Central Railway released a prototype of the quarantine coaches.
The Railways consulted the Armed Forces Medical Services, the medical departments of various zonal Railways, and the ministry of health in this connection. After the consultation, it has already modified 5,000 coaches which can accommodate up to 80,000 beds. One coach is expected to contain 16 beds. Only non-AC coaches are being converted into isolation coaches. The side berths will have arrangements to hold oxygen cylinders.
Meanwhile, Railway minister Piyush Goyal has asked the officials to allow trains to deliver essential items like medicines and groceries to run on more routes so that goods can reach different parts of the country on time. He said next week is crucial in the fight against Coronavirus.
As of 1 April, the total number of Corona-positive cases in the country reached 1,716. The numbers soared after the lockdown was declared. Now, the Tablighi Jamaat situation where around 2,000 people had participated to offer prayers in Delhi's Nizamuddin has created new problems. More than 700 people from the two Telegu states had attended the religious gathering. Six of them died in Telangana on 31 March