Delhi municipal bodies to provide PPE kits to staff working at cremation sites

Amid rising coronavirus cases, Delhi Municipal bodies on Friday have issued a  notice to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) kits to civic staff working at cremation sites. The heads of the standing committees of Delhi's three municipal corporations -- NDMC, SDMC, EDMC -- in a joint statement said that instructions have been issued to streamline arrangements at crematoria and burial sites. Issuing a joint statement, heads of the three civic bodies also said that it should be found out whether or not the infection is spread through ashes.

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The decision was taken after NDMC panel chief Jai Prakash, SDMC standing committee chairman Bhupender Gupta and EDMC panel head Sandeep Kapoor held a meeting on Thursday to discuss ways to combat the coronavirus outbreak. Officials have been told to look into the feasibility of having a separate block to conduct cremation with wood, the joint statement said. The three civic leaders also sought CNG-based incinerators at various cremation sites so that staff do not come in contact with bodies of coronavirus victims.

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NDMC building sealed 

On Thursday, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) sealed its headquarter building in Central Delhi after a senior employee tested positive for the virus. With this, the total number of employees infected with the novel coronavirus within the NDMC reached 7.

Earlier, three employees of the NDMC had tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, prompting the civic body to seal a floor of its headquarters in Lutyen's Delhi and a section of another building housing its office in Gole Market. Three others including a sanitation worker and engineer, had tested positive for COVID-19 the day before. Last week, a doctor at an NDMC dispensary had tested positive for COVID-19, following which the premises of the health facility was sealed.

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Delhi Covid tally

A record single-day spike of 1,024 cases took the COVID-19 tally in Delhi to over 16,000 on Thursday and the death toll due to the disease mounted to 316, authorities said. The previous highest single-day spike of 792 cases was recorded on Wednesday. This is the first time that over 1,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported in a day in the national capital.

In a bulletin, the Delhi health department said the death toll from COVID-19 has risen to 316 in the city and the number of coronavirus cases has mounted to 16,281. It, however, added that the cumulative death figure refers to the fatalities where the primary cause of death was found to be COVID-19, according to a report of the Death Audit Committee on the basis of case-sheets received from various hospitals. 

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