In line of duty: Teacher on ration distribution duty dies of COVID-19

New Delhi: A teacher who was under contract with North MCD has died due to Coronavirus on Sunday. The 45-year-old teacher had been on duty and was assigned for distributing ration to the needy. Her reports came out positive on May 5.

Her husband, who was also positive, had passed away on May 3. They both leave behind two sons, according to North MCD officials. This has raised an issue of testing and safety equipments among teachers and workers in schools that have been distributing food to the poor.

Both teachers and other staff have been visiting different areas to distribute food and ration. A principal of an MCD school in Trilokpuri, on the request of anonymity, told the correspondent that they have been requesting the government to get them tested. "We have sent numerous requests to the office asking them to the staff who is on duty to get tested, but nothing has been done as of now," said the principal. Furthermore, sanitizers and face masks have been arranged by the school itself.

"After hearing the case of the contractual teacher dying due to Covid, we have been tensed and upset, because we ourselves are facing such situation," said the principal. According to a source, the requests by the schools on tests are being ignored. "From principals to teachers, guard and peon, all come in contact with thousands of people as they distribute food, now due to this contact a lot of positive cases are visiting these schools. The schools want that they be checked regularly because they are vulnerable in this situation," added the source.

Another government school principal in Chandni Chowk, who has been distributing ration, said that the school is sanitized every day, however no tests are done. "I have been visiting the school every day. We have also been distributing food. Thousands of people are given food in a day, now you can imagine that I have interacted with lakhs of people. It keeps me in such vulnerable situation," said the principal.

The state government is asking these frontline workers to get themselves tested at a nearby hospital. "However, we are not getting any offs and have to work for 12 hours everyday," said a worker in a government school. There are hundreds of school in Delhi that comes under state government and have been distributing food and ration to needy and homeless people.

Meanwhile, an NGO worker has also tested positive in South Delhi area. The volunteer was distributing PPE kits and masks to different hospitals.