Coronavirus Pandemic | Postpone All Journeys: Indian Railways Urges Passengers After 12 Train Travelers Test COVID-19 Positive

The Indian Railways on Saturday urged all its passengers to postpone their journey after 12 of its travelers tested positive. The Ministry of Railways released an advisory asking people to avoid train travels. "Railways has found some cases of Coronavirus infected passengers in trains which makes train travel risky. PLEASE avoid train travel as you may also get infected if your co-passenger has Coronavirus. Please postpone all journeys and keep yourself and your loved ones safe," the advisory reads.

The ministry had earlier released another statement where it had said that the Delhi bound passengers, who had returned from Dubai last week, were marked with mandatory quarantine but were found travelling on Rajdhani Express between Bengaluru and Delhi today. They were immediately deboarded at Kazipet and the entire coach was sanitised

There's no let-up in incidents of people escaping from quarantine risking their own lives and that of others with the latest case of two people deboarded from Bengaluru Rajdhani Express on Saturday, said the ministry of railways.

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The Railways has also reported that four passengers travelling on Godan Express, Train no- 11055, from Mumbai to Jabalpur on 16th March in B1 Coach have tested positive for covid19 yesterday along with 8 more passengers who had travelled on AP Sampark Kranti Express from Delhi to Ramagundam on 13th March.

In view of the Janta curfew, announced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, no passenger train will originate from any railway station in the country from midnight to 10 pm on Sunday, sources said on Friday. The sources also told PTI that mail and express trains will also  stop services from 4 am on Sunday.

All suburban train services to be reduced to a bare minimum as well. As of now, the Indian Railways has cancelled 245 trains in order to restrict unnecessary travel due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Also Read | Coronavirus | Delhi Metro Services To Be Regulated On Monday, No Trains From 10 AM To 4 PM

Pitching for "social distancing", Modi on Thursday called for a 'Janta curfew' from 7 am to 9 pm on March 22, saying no citizen, barring those in essential services, should get out of their houses, and asserted that it will be a litmus test to show India's readiness to take on the coronavirus challenge.

This experience will serve the nation well, he added. "This Sunday, that is on March 22, all citizens must follow this curfew from 7 am until 9 pm. During this curfew, we shall neither leave our homes, nor get onto the streets and refrain from roaming about in our societies or areas.

Only those associated with emergency and essential services may leave their homes," he said.

(With agency inputs)