The Delhi State Cancer Insitute (DSCI) has been temporarily shut after 18 healthcare staff members were confirmed positive for coronavirus. These include two doctors and sixteen nursing staff members. The hospital authorities are trying to shift 19 of its patients to other private hospitals in the city.

"As a precautionary measure, we have shut down various facilities of the hospital for conducting sanitisation. We are making arrangement to shift our 19 cancer patients to another private hospital. Talks are on with Dharmshila Superspecility hospital," Dr BL Sherwal, DSCI's medical superintendent said.

Sherwal added, "However, before sending these cancer patients to another facility, we are testing them for COVID-19. Cancer patients are immune-compromised patients and are a high-risk group. They tend to catch infection very easily. If their reports come negative, we will shift these patients to another hospital".

The hospital authorities also expressed concern over the wellbeing of its healthcare workers and said that they are taking care of those infected by the coronavirus. According to Sherwal, some of the staff members have been admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Speciality Hospital. He also said that contact tracing of all infected has been initiated by the authorities.

Last week a doctor from the institute was tested positive after which the number of healthcare workers of the hospital being diagnosed with coronavirus just kept on increasing. After the doctor was tested positive, the hospital had closed its OPD, offices, labs and had carried out a sanitation process for the entire structure but now the entire hospital has been shut down.

Delhi has reported 523 cases of COVID-19 as of 9:00 am on Tuesday, out of which 19 people have been discharged and seven people have died of the disease, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.