Mumbai: The entire Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking breathed easy after receiving the news that a 50-year-old conductor, his wife and son had tested negative for coronavirus on Thursday. The conductor had been home-quarantined after his daughter and son-in-law were found positive on April 7, since the couple had been residing with them at the BEST staff quarters, Parel. Soon after the results came out, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) fumigated and sealed the premises on Thursday morning. The conductor, his wife and son were isolated and their samples collected. However, since they did not display any flu-like symptoms, they were not hospitalised.
On Thursday afternoon, the BEST announced that the trio had tested negative and was recovering. "The family was kept under observation and samples were collected by the BMC. Their tests were negative," said Manoj Varde, BEST spokesperson. "The daughter and husband came to Mumbai just before the lockdown and stayed with the family at their Parel staff quarters. After the daughter and her husband were found positive, the whole family was quarantined by the BMC," added Varde.
The news of the conductor being a suspected case had spread panic among the rest of the staff because currently, BEST buses are the only public transport system in operation, ferrying essential service providers to and from home.On April 1, a 56-year-old BEST foreman of the electric supply department had tested positive.
He is currently undergoing treatment at SRV Hospital, Tilak Nagar, and the rest of his department is under the mandatory 14-day home quarantine stipulated by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation
