publish time

11/05/2020

author name Arab Times

publish time

11/05/2020

NEW DELHI, India - India’s train network, one of the world’s largest, will gradually restart operations on Tuesday as the country eases its coronavirus lockdown amid a steep rise in infections.

An Indian homeless man eats eggs discarded in a garbage bin during lockdown to curb the spread of new coronavirus on the outskirts of Jammu, India, Sunday, May 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)


The country reported 4,213 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, its biggest single-day spike. India has had more than 67,000 cases, including 2,206 deaths.

Migrant workers who arrived from neighboring Maharashtra state board a truck as they are transported to a quarantine center in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh state, India, Sunday, May 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

The rise in infections comes on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet various state heads to discuss the country’s lockdown exit strategy.
India’s train network, closed in late March when a strict nationwide lockdown was implemented, will be the first mode of transport to resume in the country of 1.3 billion people.

Migrant workers who arrived from neighboring Maharashtra state stand on the back of a truck as they are transported to a quarantine center in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh state, India, Sunday, May 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Passengers would have to wear masks and undergo health screenings before being permitted to board, the railway ministry has said. Only asymptomatic passengers will be allowed on trains, which will make fewer stops than usual.
The announcement comes after the government arranged for trains to transport thousands of migrant workers stranded in Indian cities back to their homes.

An Indian woman works at a brick kiln as her child sleeps under a cot during lockdown to curb the spread of new coronavirus on the outskirts of Jammu, India, Sunday, May 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)

The railway system is often described as India’s lifeline, transporting 23 million people across the vast subcontinent each day, some 8.4 billion passengers each year.
India’s 54-day coronavirus lockdown is expected to end on May 17