More passengers found with high fever, rly authorities seek swab test

Ludhiana: As many as 45 passengers, who had reached the city station after travelling in three trains from Maharashtra, had to be taken to civil hospital for conducting further medical screening and throat swab testing in the last two days by the health department team of district. Most of them were running abnormally high body temperatures.
The passengers were travelling in Nanded-Amritsar super-fast express train and Paschim superfast express, both resumed service from June 3 for local passengers.Although, two passengers who de-boarded at the city station from Shaheed express also reported high body temperature.
Satwinder Bassi, in-charge of district health department medical team, who is deputed at city railway station for conducting medical screening of passengers, confirmed that more than 40 passengers travelling in different long-route trains were taken to civil hospital in the last two days from the city station because they were running temperatures.
After coming across a large number of passengers with abnormally high body temperatures, railway authorities have asked local health department teams to take throat swabs of all passengers who were travelling in long-route trains to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, saying ticket checking staff and other railway staff are at risk.
The health team deputed at the city station have also begun the process of gathering details from passengers whose body temperatures were found to be abnormally high during screening for taking further preventive action.
Officials in railway department have revealed that a sense of fear has been aroused among food vendors and ticket checking staff, who are in close contact with passengers, as many report high tempertures. Because if passenger is found to be positive, those who come in with them also have to be quarantined, causing inconvenience to all, said the sources.
The railway staff have also pulled up their socks to deal with any untoward situation, as they have received orders to sanitise the entire station premises after the arrival or departure of trains from city station. According to station director Kumar, they have already restricted the entry of those who do not have confirmed tickets booked in any of the eight special trains allowed.
According to him, safety gears were also given to ticket checking staff and cleanliness staff and food vendors who are dealing with passengers.
“Moreover, we have asked health department team to conduct proper thermal screening of all railway officials when they report to their duty in station premises on a daily basis, as it’s crucial for everyone’s safety,” added the station director.