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Madhya Pradesh: Mask slips, it's open season for coronavirus on train

ON BOARD 02061 JANSHATABDI: A man saunters over, leans across a seat and has a close-up conversation with a fellow traveler. Another, sitting in the aisle, leans over and has an even more close-up chat. They evidently share a joke and laugh into each other's face... A common sight on Indian trains. Horror in times of Covid-19 .

TOI boarded the Jan Shatabdi from Habibganj station on Monday - the first day of the 'unlocking' of regular trains - and found that the lessons from the Covid pandemic are more flimsy than the mask that slips.


Covid lessons go for a toss. Masks slip. Close-up chats, as usual.


The journey from Habibganj to Itarsi went from relief at seeing the rules being followed on entry, to shock on seeing them slipping on the platform, to horror on the mask being yanked off inside the coach.

Rlys allots shoulder-to-shoulder seats in half-empty train


Half of the passengers did everything by the book. But it’s the other half that should trigger alarm as India begins unlocking, in the hope that two months of lockdown have taught us enough to let businesses to open and put life back in gear.

Several passengers removed their masks immediately upon entering coaches and put social distancing on the hanger. While entering Habibganj station, passengers went through strict thermal checking and social distancing. On the platform, rules went for a toss at shops selling munchies and sodas.

And within the coach, it was life as usual – pre-Covid usual. The railways, in fact, were the first to ignore social distancing, allotting shoulder-to-shoulder seats when more than half the train was empty. Those adhering to social distancing quickly moved to empty rows upon realizing they were too close for Covid comfort. For the other half, it was a make up for two months of home isolation. “I was given a seat next to another passenger. I dare not take a risk, so I moved,” said passenger Rajesh. TTEs run the highest risk. “Working in the present situation is like going to war every day. It is scary but we have no option,” said a TTE, asking not to be named. Asked if they could wear PPEs, he said, “We have to move around a lot. Wearing a PPE in summer is like a death sentence,” he pointed out. Some officials were seen in PPE, though.

Unlike Habibganj, there wasn’t even a semblance of social distancing at Itarsi. Even officials carrying out thermal checks had doffed the PPE and kept them on the table, neatly folded. “It is impossible to work in PPE in such hot conditions,” said one. People above 65 years of age and kids below 10 years were also found travelling in large numbers though many of them had no urgent reason to.


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