Published 18:52 IST, March 21st 2020
Ministry of Railways urges people to avoid travelling by train amid coronavirus outbreak
On Saturday, the Ministry of Railways advised people to avoid travelling by train after cases of some positive COVID-19 patients travelling by train emerged.
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On Saturday, the Ministry of Railways advised people to avoid travelling by train in the wake of the novel coronavirus crisis. It noted that some cases had emerged where coronavirus infected passengers had travelled by trains. Moreover, the Ministry called upon the citizens to postpone all scheduled journeys for ensuring safety.
For instance, 8 passengers in the AP Sampark Kranti Express train from Delhi to Ramagundam on March 13 tested positive for COVID-19. Similarly, 4 passengers in the Godan Express train from Mumbai to Jabalpur on March 16 were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19. In another incident on Saturday, two people who were advised home quarantine were caught travelling in the Rajdhani train from Bengaluru to Delhi. Currently, there are 283 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in India, besides one death reported in Mumbai, Delhi, Punjab and Kalaburagi.
Railways has found some cases of Coronavirus infected passengers in trains which makes train travel risky.
— Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) March 21, 2020
Avoid train travel as you may also get infected if your co-passenger has Coronavirus.
Postpone all journeys and keep yourself and your loved ones safe. #NoRailTravel
16 मार्च को मुम्बई से जबलपुर जाने वाली गोदान एक्सप्रेस (ट्रेन नं 11055) के बी 1 कोच में यात्रा करने वाले 4 यात्रियों का कल COVID-19परीक्षण में पॉजिटिव पाया गया है।
— Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) March 21, 2020
वे पिछले सप्ताह दुबई से भारत आए थे। सभी संबंधित अधिकािरयों को आवश्यक कार्रवाई करने के लिए सतर्क कर दिया गया है।
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Pan-India shutdown on March 22
In a big development, Indian Railways on Friday announced that there will be a pan-India shutdown for all passenger trains on Sunday on account of Janta Curfew. In a statement, it was stated that all trains originating from 10 pm on March 21 to March 22 midnight will be suspended. Passenger trains already in operation on Sunday at 7 am will be allowed to run on the 'Janta Curfew' day.
Moreover, suburban services in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, and Secunderabad shall be reduced to a bare minimum level only to cater to essential travel requirements on March 22. Similarly, mails/express trains originating on the day of 'Janta curfew' are being cancelled, but those already running will be allowed to proceed. On Sunday, it was clarified that 60% of Central Railway services would be operational instead of the mega block.
18:52 IST, March 21st 2020