Northern Railway converts 16 coaches into isolation wards for COVID-19 cases

The Northern Railway has already converted 16 coaches into isolation wards for coronavirus patients and four more will be ready by Tuesday, officials said on Monday.

A rake of 10 coaches will be converted into an isolation facility within a week. Further, the Northern Railway is in touch with the state governments concerned for better co-ordination in the fight against coronavirus, they said.

According to a statement, as part of the efforts to use its production units and workshops to manufacture essential medical equipment, the northern railways is also geared to manufacture 700 litres of sanitiser and 700 masks daily.

It has already manufactured 1,600 face masks, many of which are being provided to the loading and unloading workers at the goods sheds. They are being regularly counselled to maintain social distancing, it said.

Prototypes of coverall and aprons for medical staff are also being manufactured in both the Northern Railway Coaching workshops.

"Over the next three days, the workshops will manufacture 20 coveralls and aprons per day. This will be further enhanced to 30-35 per day from April 3, the statement said.

Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel of the Delhi Division distributed 2,000 meals, prepared hygienically by the IRCTC, free of cost to the poor and needy at New Delhi, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Delhi Safdarjung, Mandawali and Shakurbasti stamtions, the statement said.