BEST bus driver tests positive, 236 staffers in quarantine

Somit Sen | TNN | Apr 27, 2020, 07:46 IST

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MUMBAI: A BEST bus driver, who was among the 236 frontline workers placed in home quarantine recently, has tested positive for Covid-19, said BEST officials on Sunday. The driver is attached to Kalakilla bus depot, which is adjacent to Dharavi depot, in Sion.
“During quarantine, he developed high fever and other symptoms of Covid-19. He was taken to Rajawadi Hospital where his test reports came positive,” said an official.
BEST chief medical officer Dr Anil Kumar Singhal said one driver, four conductors, two staffers from the power supply division and a bus shunter from Tardeo have tested positive so far. “Besides, 14 other employees have been hospitalised and we are awaiting their medical reports,” he told TOI. Of the eight employees found positive, six are believed to have got infected either from relatives or when they were out of Mumbai on leave, he added.
The BEST has stepped up medical checkup of its staff. “As many as 7,242 staffers have been examined at our dispensaries, while 220 employees who were on leave in March-April have submitted self-declaration forms after resuming duty,” Dr Singhal said.
Meanwhile, after a building in Parel staff quarters was sealed when the mother of a former BEST staffer succumbed to Covid-19, on Saturday, a circular was pasted outside the gates asking all 59 families to stay indoors. “Of the 236 staffers in quarantine, 100 have completed it and may resume duty soon,” said an official.