The South Eastern Railway (SER)has converted 281 passenger coaches into isolation/quarantine facilities with necessary arrangements to accommodate patients in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, a senior official said here on Thursday.SER has earmarked 329 compartments for conversion into isolation/quarantine coaches as a part of the Indian Railways' preparedness to control the spread of COVID-19, spokesman Sanjay Ghosh said."Work for the conversion of passenger coaches into isolation/quarantine facilities is being carried out on a war footing at SER's Kharagpur workshop, Santragachi depot, Tatanagar depot and Hatia depot under the guidance of its medical department," he said.The coaches have been equipped with necessary facilities to serve the people affected by the deadly disease, Ghosh said.Sleeper and general class coaches are being to do the work, he said, adding that steps have been taken to ensure disinfection and sanitisation of the modified coaches.A converted coach has nine cabins with two berths in each cabin, Ghosh said, adding that one of these cabins will be for paramedical staff, while two COVID-19 patients will be accommodated in each of the eight cabins.
