Days after a Southern Railway staffer in Chennai tested positive for COVID-19, the organisation has traced around 20 people who were in contact with him. A few of the contacts were on duty between April 28 and 30 at the Perambur Railway hospital, as per reports.
The employee, who was tested positive on May 7, had been reporting to work in the last week of April to prepare salary statements. When asked if he was screened when he reported to work, the Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Southern Railways told DT Next that all employees who come to office are made to undergo mandatory screening of body temperature. He also said that masks and sanitisers are being provided to all the employees who arrive at the office.
Southern Railways offices in Chennai have resumed functioning with 33% of staff, in line with the directive of the Union Home Ministry. Only those who commute to work on their own transport have been allowed to report to their offices, according to the CPRO. Only the staff in the Operations and Maintenance section are reporting physically to their offices while others have been working from home. However, all officials in the rank of deputy secretary and above have been reporting at their respective offices.
Earlier in April, three conservancy workers in the Chennai Egmore railway station had tested positive for COVID-19. Following that, around 50 workers of the same housekeeping agency were taken up for testing as a precautionary measure.
Tamil Nadu, as of Sunday, has reported over 7200 positive cases of COVID-19. The state is also testing over 13,000 samples every day, which is among the highest in the country. The state also has recorded 47 deaths and 1959 recoveries till date.