Senior railway official tests positive for coronavirus; third case at Rail Bhavan

A senior officer working at Rail Bhavan has tested positive for coronavirus, becoming the third such case in the building which is the headquarters of the Indian Railways.

The officer was working on the cadre restructuring of the Railway Protection Force Service. She had last come to work on May 13, following which Rail Bhavan was shut down for sanitisation purposes for two days after an RPF staffer tested positive for the disease.

The railway officer stays at Commonwealth Games Village apartments, where many senior officers of the railways reside.

Officials said that a joint secretary-level officer working closely with her has been sent to 14-day home quarantine, while some junior staffers have been asked to isolate themselves.

Sources said the officer is diabetic and had taken all precautions required to protect herself from coronavirus. However, she only has a mild fever and is under watch at home.

A junior staffer at the RPF office on the fourth floor of Rail Bhavan was the first to be infected with coronavirus in the building. This was followed by another case where a langur handler hired to chase away monkeys around the building had tested positive.

In the wake of these cases, the railways had shut down the building for deep sanitisation on May 14 and 15.