Delhi to use railway coaches as coronavirus wards

NEW DELHI REUTERS, 14 June, 2020-   India’s federal government said on Sunday it will provide New Delhi’s city authorities with 500 railway coaches that will be equipped to care for coronavirus patients, after a surge in the number of cases led to a shortage of hospital beds.   

 The coaches will increase Delhi’s capacity by 8,000 beds, home minister Amit Shah said on Twitter after a meeting with the capital’s chief minister.   

 The government will also ramp up testing in the city, especially in containment zones, conduct a door-to-door health survey of residents and provide sufficient supplies of oxygen cylinders and ventilators, he said.   

 India is the fourth-worst affected country in the world, with cases steadily increasing. It reported a record single-day jump in cases on Sunday, adding nearly 12,000 confirmed infections and taking the total to more than 320,000, according to health ministry data. Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed a nationwide lockdown in late March that has since been loosened.   

 With more than 22,000 active cases, Delhi is the third-worst affected after the states of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.