South Western Railway (SWR) has suspended an official for allegedly not disclosing the travel history of her son who later tested positive for COVID-19. She had also provided him accommodation in a rest house run by the Railways near Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna (Bengaluru) railway station — one of the busiest stations in the city — in an attempt to isolate him from family members.
The rest house has 12 rooms and all of them were occupied during his stay there. In a statement on Friday, the chief public relations officer of the SWR said the suspended officer is an Assistant Personnel Officer in Bengaluru Division and had requested accommodation for her family in a rest house run by the Railways in the city. She, however, had failed to mention that her son had travelled abroad.
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“It is understood that the said officer’s son who came from Germany via Madrid (Spain) to KSR Bengaluru had stayed in the rest house from Friday to Monday [March 13 to 16]. As a preventive measure, the rest house has now been closed and cleaning staff have been kept under quarantine. All the officers and families who stayed in the rest house are being informed to be on alert for symptoms, if any,” the PRO said in a statement.
The SWR has shared the details of people who stayed at the rest house, with the State government. The entire premises was fumigated. The statement from the PRO also states that the official’s son himself went to hospital for medical tests and on March 18 tested positive for COVID–19.
Divisional Railway Manager of Bengaluru Division Ashok Kumar Verma said, “The official had booked a room in the rest house to isolate her son from the rest of the family as there were elderly people. She, however, did not reveal his travel history. We have also quarantined the entire area to curb the spread of COVID-19.”
Bus crew test negative
The crew of the KSRTC Rajahamsa bus who ferried a passenger who later tested positive for COVID–19 from Mysuru Road Satellite Bus Station in Bengaluru to Madikeri have no symptoms of the disease. “Medical test reports of both the conductor and the driver have come negative, said managing director of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation Shivayogi C Kalasad.
They, however, are being quarantined and asked to report if they develop any symptoms. The district administration and health department have reached out to five passengers who had travelled in the same bus after purchasing tickets online. Efforts are on to trace 28 passengers who had travelled in the same bus by purchasing tickets from the conductor.
