"Early Testing, Protection Gear": Congress Demands SOP For Delivery Boys In Delhi

Ajay Maken said protection gears should be provided by the employers.(Representational)

With a food delivery boy in Delhi testing positive for the novel coronavirus, Congress on Friday demanded that a standard operating procedure for delivery boys should be prepared and notified and it should also apply to others exempted from lockdown.

Addressing a press conference through video-conferencing, Congress leader Ajay Maken said that 55 health care professionals have been infected in Delhi which is highest in the country and "Delhi has a huge scarcity of PPE".

He said 1,640 people had tested positive and asked if the metropolis had entered the third stage of COVID-19 transmission.

He said private schools in Delhi should not charge fee due to the lockdown and the government should provide 75 per cent of the teachers' salaries. He also demanded Rs 7,500 per month for vulnerable sections.

Mr Maken said a food delivery boy has been found positive for the virus and 89 people have been quarantined.

"Why is there not a regulation for all individuals who are exempted from the lockdown? We suggest SOP for delivery boys should be prepared and should be notified as regulations so that they are binding on everyone," he said.

Mr Maken said protection gears, including sanitizers, mask, and hand gloves should be provided by the employers.

The Congress leader said that the "food delivery boy was refused to be tested earlier" despite being symptomatic.

"The SOP should also include early testing of this vulnerable section" he said.

The delivery boy, who had delivered food in Malviya Nagar area, tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday.

Noting that Delhi has one of the highest percentages of migrant populations in India, he said it includes labourers, construction workers, self-employed persons as street vendors, rickshaw pullers and rag pickers.

"Rs 7,500 should be provided to each person of such vulnerable sections per month. The government should immediately, based on records available, transfer money to this section," he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)