500 coaches with 8K beds for Delhi, testing to triple in 6 days

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, June 14

Home Minister Amit Shah said on Sunday the central government would ramp up COVID-19 tests in the national capital---a development that comes as coronavirus tally touched nearly 39,000 cases and the death toll rose to over 1,200.

Shah, who told the press about decisions taken at a high-level meeting with Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, said COVID-19 tests would be doubled in Delhi over the next two days and tripled in the next six days.  

Centre to provide Delhi 500 rail coaches having 8,000 beds equipped with COVID-19 treatment facilities

Shah said the central government had decided to immediately give 500 railway coaches to Delhi, which will not only increase the number of isolation beds by 8,000 beds, but these will also add up to the facility equipped with means to fight the virus infection.

“COVID-19 tests will be started at every polling station in Delhi containment zones in a few days. Comprehensive house-to-house health survey will be done in Delhi containment zones for COVID-19 contact tracing,” Shah said, adding that tests “will be doubled in next 2 days and increased by three times after 6 days”.

Shah also said a decision has been taken to issue new guidelines for the last rites of those who die of the COVID-19 infection, so that “the waiting time for performing last rites would reduce”.

“To ensure better contact mapping in the containment zones, it has been decided to conduct an extensive house-to-house survey and its report will be made public in the next one week.  Along with this for better monitoring in the containment zones, efforts would be made to get everyone living there to download AarogyaSetu App on their mobile phones,” Home Minister Amit Shah said.

Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal said the meeting was “extremely productive”.

“We will fight against COVID-19 together,” he said. 

Apart from Shah, Baijal and Kejriwal, those who attended the meeting include Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, members of the State Disaster Management Authority and senior officers from the Home and Health ministries.

The home minister has also called a separate meeting in the evening with the mayors of Delhi’s three municipal corporations---North, South and East---and commissioners of the civic bodies to discuss the coronavirus situation in the capital.

Apart from Shah, Baijal and Kejriwal, those who attended the meeting include Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, members of the State Disaster Management Authority and senior officers from the Home and Health ministries.

The home minister has also called a separate meeting in the evening with the mayors of Delhi’s three municipal corporations—North, South and East—and commissioners of the civic bodies to discuss the coronavirus situation in the capital.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has called a meeting of all political parties of Delhi on Monday to discuss the COVID-19 situation in the national capital amid a recent spurt in coronavirus cases, an official said.

The BJP, the Congress, the AAP and the BSP have been invited for the meeting.

The COVID-19 case tally has reached nearly 39,000 and the virus has claimed more than 1,200 lives in the capital.

A Home Ministry official said Amit Shah would discuss measures for the management of COVID-19 with the political parties. — With inputs from PTI

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