According to the appeal from the Ministry of Railways, ‘in order to protect vulnerable persons from COVID 19, in line with MHA directives, Ministry of Railways makes an appeal that persons with co-morbidities (such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and immunodeficiency diseases), pregnant women, children below the age of 10 years and persons above 65 years may avoid travel by rail, except when it is essential.’
The notice also mentions the recent spate of passenger deaths in the train and says that a ‘few unfortunate cases of deaths related to pre-existing medical conditions while travelling has occurred.’
The Railways have also highlighted that the safety of the passenger is their utmost priority and that ‘in case of distress or emergency’ people should not hesitate to call railway helpline numbers.
The Railways started Non-AC Shramik trains to ferry migrants who were stranded in different parts of the country after the lockdown was announced. According to a PTI report, recently nine passengers died while travelling in the Shramik trains. A video that showed a toddler playing with the blanket which covered his dead mother also caused a furor in social media. The Railways have said that the passengers who died were already suffering from different ailments.