60 passengers on board Delhi-Ranchi Rajdhani under scanner for sharing coach with COVID-19 patient

Around 60 passengers who travelled on the New Delhi-Ranchi Rajdhani Express, in the same coach as a Malaysian woman who tested positive for coronavirus, are under the scanner with the district authorities scrambling to find their whereabouts, sources said Tuesday.

The 22-year-old woman, who travelled on the train with 23 others on March 16, tested positive and is Jharkhand's first confirmed case of COVID-19.

She was traced to a city mosque along with the others on Monday and lodged at a quarantine centre.

"Any passenger who travelled by train no 20840 (New Delhi-Ranchi Rajdhani Express), coach no-B1; date of journey-16.03.2020 to reach Ranchi on 17.03.2020, may kindly contact immediately," tweeted the District Magistrate of Ranchi.

Sources say the South Eastern Railway has already handed over the list of passengers travelling in the air conditioned coach to the district authorities.

According to an official, the woman came to Ranchi on March 17 along with 23 others, including foreign nationals, and was staying at the mosque before the administration spotted them on Monday and sent them all to a quarantine facility.

He said samples of all the 24 people were sent for examination and the woman tested positive for COVID-19.

Earlier, the railways had warned against travelling by trains when people who later tested positive for the contagion were found to have travelled in them, many among them after violating mandatory quarantine orders.

All passenger services of the railways will remain suspended till April 14.

The Union Health Ministry said the death toll due to COVID-19 has risen to 32 and the number of total positive cases to 1,251 as on Monday 9.30 PM, up from 1,024 positive cases and 27 deaths as on Sunday evening. While there are more than 1,100 active cases, nearly 100 have been cured.