Did Coronavirus Spook Domestic Travellers? Reports Say Over 2,000 People Cancelled Tickets At Tata Nagar Station Over COVID-19

Coronavirus pandemic has not only hammered the global travel sector but also impacted the mood of domestic passengers. As the airlines across the world stare at economic recession due to COVID-19 outbreak, reports are coming in from some state in India where passengers are reluctant in travelling within the country. Local reports suggest that as many as 2,000 passengers cancelled their tickets ta the booking counter of Tata Nagar Railway station in Jharkhand over the fear of coronavirus. (Coronavirus Live Updates)

A report by Jagran said that the railway officials had to refund the amount that stood around Rs 9.2 lakh. The report said that tourist groups, which had plans to visit places such as Delhi, Mumbai, Jammu and Haridwar opted for mass cancellation. Though no official confirmation was available, the trend of people cancelling their travel plans may help the government in restricting the viral infection in reaching stage 3 of the pandemic - community transmission.

Meanwhile, in the wake of coronavirus outbreak, Central and Western Railway on Saturday ordered withdrawal of blankets and curtains from AC coaches as they are not washed every day. Other items in the bedroll, including bedsheets, towels and pillow covers, are washed every day. "As per the extant instructions, curtains and blankets provided in AC coaches are not washed (after) every trip. In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, blankets and curtains will be immediately withdrawn from service till further orders. Passengers will be advised to bring their own blankets in their own interest. S

ome additional bedsheets will be kept for any exigencies," Western Railway spokesperson Gajanan Mahatpurkar told PTI. The official Twitter handle of Western Railway also shared the news. The Central Railway has also instructed its personnel to intensively clean coach fittings as they are touched by thousands of passengers every day. These fittings include grab handles, door handles, door latches, entry door handles, seat guard, snack trays, window glass, window grill, bottle holders, upper berth climbing stair, electrical switches, charge points etc. They will be cleaned with disinfectants, an official said.