Railways should quarantine people from Delhi, TN tells Centre

Chennai, May 12 (PTI) The Railways should quarantine those coming to Tamil Nadu by train from Delhi and they will be tested for coronavirus on their arrival, the state government said here on Tuesday.

Following Chief Minister K Palaniswami's request to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard,, the Centre has said that but for two trains already announcedon May 14 and 16 -for which bookings are over- no other service to the State will be operated, an official release here said.

In a virtual meet on Monday, Palaniswami, citing increasing coronavirus cases, had urged Modi that trains to and from Tamil Nadu must not be run till May 31. On their arrival from the national capital, the railway authorities should make arrangements to house passengers in isolation facilities, Palaniswami told Union Home and Railway Ministers in a letter.

The State government will collect samples from passengers and put themto real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testin a day or two, the release quoted Palaniswami as telling the Centre.

As over 1,000 passengers are expected to arrive, it was not possible to test all of them at one go, Palaniswami apprised the Union government. The Railways had announced trains on May 14 and 16 to Chennai fromDelhi and vice versa, the release added.

While those who test positive on arrival from Delhi will be admitted to hospitals, others shall be housed in separate facilities, Palaniswamiinformed the Centre.