New Delhi: Sixteen passenger coaches have been converted into isolation wards by the Northern Railway as a proactive measure to strengthen healthcare amid the novel coronavirus scare.
Northern Railway spokesperson Deepak Kumar said: “In its continuous effort to fight against COVID-19, all NR workshops have been geared up. Till now, 16 LHB coaches have been converted to function as isolation wards for suspected coronavirus patients. Two rakes, i.e. 20 LHB converted isolation non-AC coaches, will be ready by March 31 evening.”
Two ICF coaches available at Alambagh workshop will be converted into isolation coaches by Tuesday, he said. One rake of the 10 coaches will be converted into an isolation facility within a week.
“Northern Railway is in touch with respective state governments for better coordination in our fight against coronavirus,” he said.
Kumar said that production of sanitisers, face masks, coveralls or aprons was in full swing at the Northern Railway workshops, with a capacity to manufacture 700 litres of sanitiser daily.
Kumar also said that two Northern Railway Coach Workshops are geared up to manufacture 700 face masks per day and 1,600 face masks have been manufactured so far by Northern Railway, he added.
Besides, sufficient raw material was provided to the workshops at Jagadhri and Alambagh on Sunday to manufacture 20 coveralls or aprons per day over the next three days.
The railways has begun making medical beds, IV stands, face masks, sanitisers, aprons and other medical equipment to meet the demand for such items to fight coronavirus. It has suspended production at all its units and workshops for the same.
