NEW DELHI: After a safai karmachari, working with the East MCD, tested positive for COVID-19 on April 20, her family was besieged with worry and wanted to get tested to know if they had been infected. However, little did the 20-member family know they would have to knock on several doors and get tested after five long days.
The sanitation worker, deployed in Shahdara area, got infected last week and is currently at Lok Nayak Hospital. “My aunt was not unwell for a few days, her husband took her for a test and she was found positive. Her reports came four days after she got tested,” said the nephew of the patient.
Living in a 200-yard-plot at Pushta near Shashtri Park, he said that it was difficult to get his aunt admitted to a hospital. “My uncle made several calls for an ambulance. Till the time she was at home. We followed social distancing but it was already more than three days she started showing symptoms,” the member stated.
Sharing common areas, the members were worried about transmission of the virus. “News was coming in about families with COVID-19 patients testing positive in Delhi, we were scared… what if we all are positive. We were desperate to get tested and started calling authorities – from helpline numbers to hospitals to even DM and SDM offices. The authorities kept saying that they will come but didn’t turn up,” he said.
Finally, the family started posting videos on social media, which caught the attention of many journalists. “Media intervened and we were tested at Babu Jagjivan Hospital on Saturday. We have been asked to wait for four days for the results,” the person stated.
Big jump: 293 fresh corona cases in Delhi
With 293 more people being confirmed positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, the total number of coronavirus cases in the national capital rose to 2,918, according to the Delhi government’s health department. The total number of cases on Saturday stood at 2,625. As many as 877 patients have been cured till now, while 54 have died of the disease.
Meanwhile, the Azadpur Mandi on Sunday issued guidelines to regulate the movement of empty vehicles in the area to prevent the spread of coronavirus. A DDA ground in Burari has been earmarked as holding area for empty vehicles to reduce the traffic in and around the market, the committee’s guidelines read.