Three more employees of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday. Two of them are conductors from the Dharavi and Vikhroli depots respectively. The third patient is a staffer in the electric supply wing, who had tested positive during a screening drive in Mahadeo Nagar, a containment zone in Versova.
BEST officials said the conductor from Vikhroli depot was on leave from March 22 to April 5 and it is difficult to ascertain from where he had contracted the virus. He has been admitted to Rajawadi Hospital. The two other staffers have been placed in the quarantine ward.
With the new cases, the tally in BEST has risen to seven. Contact tracing is on. On Thursday, two conductors tested positive, while one conductor from Goregaon depot got infected last week. A staffer in the electric supply wing, who was the first employee to test positive, died on April 14.
BEST officials said their biggest worry is protecting the lives of employees with co-morbidities. Now, 230 employees are under quarantine, while 100 have resumed duty after spending 14 days in quarantine.
Shashank Rao, general secretary, BEST Workers’ Union, said the BEST has been lax in containing the spread of the outbreak among its staffers. Mr. Rao said, “They don’t even have temperature screening devices at depots. How would you know if anyone has symptoms? Conductors are getting infected because they are interacting with others, which include medical staff.” He said many staffers were told to return from their hometowns and resume work. He said, “The conductor from Goregaon depot was forced to return. Who knows from where he got the infection?”
