india

Updated: Apr 22, 2020 05:44 IST

A sanitation worker died of a heart attack, suspected to be linked to Covid-19, while six front-line workers, including police, sanitation staff and ration shop owners, tested positive for the virus.

A 52-year-old woman sanitation worker of the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) died of a heart attack Tuesday at the Lok Nayak hospital, but doctors suspect that she may been suffering from the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). Her Covid-19 test results are yet to arrive.

EDMC spokesperson Arun Kumar said, “We have been told that she had suffered a heart attack at the LN Hospital Tuesday and died, but her final Covid test reports are yet to arrive. So we can’t be sure of any underlying reasons for the heart attack she suffered.”

However, the 52-year-old woman’s husband, over the phone, said, “We have been verbally told that she had contracted the coronavirus infection. We are not being handed over the body and have been told to reach the Nigambodh Ghat directly for her last rites. The doctors also said only a maximum of four people can be at the crematorium and a team of doctors will be there to supervise the last rites. She was only given a mask by EDMC to carry out her duties -- she did not even have gloves on.”

Also, on Tuesday, a 35-year-old co-worker of the dead woman was Tuesday admitted to the Lok Nayak hospital after she tested positive for Covid-19. Officials said she works in the Dharampura area of Shahdara.

A ration shop owner in Roop Nagar neighbourhood tested Covid-19 positive.

Following the development, the district administration has directed all beneficiaries of the fair price shop — as many as 1,648 — to remain in home quarantine.

They have also put the locality under surveillance for the next 14 days, a senior government official said Tuesday.

This is the first such instance of a ration shop owner getting infected in the capital. The person has no history of travel to foreign countries.

The health department is in the process of tracing his contacts, a senior government official said.

Four constables posted at central Delhi’s Nabi Karim tested positive for coronavirus (Covid-19) after 80 personnel of the police station were screened till Monday.

The four were asymptomatic and their tests were done after Nabi Karim was declared a containment zone.

With the four new cases, the total number of police personnel infected with the virus rose to 20. Of these, 12 personnel are from Nabi Karim and Chandni Mahal police stations in central Delhi.

“The Nabi Karim police station has not been sealed yet as everyone else, besides the four, tested negative. So far, screening of more than 150 personnel of the two police stations has been done. Of them, 12 have been found positive and they all were asymptomatic,” said Sanjay Bhatia, deputy commissioner of police (central).