Even though cooking at home has probably become the most documented activity on social media, a number of people are still relying on food-delivery services for their meals. However, yesterday, a pizza delivery boy in Delhi tested positive for Covid19 — leading to 72 contacts he delivered to being put under quarantine while he undergoes treatment at a hospital.
Last week, the Union Health Ministry stated that India will be focusing on aggressive contact tracing. When health authorities traced all the delivery boy’s contacts, they identified each house that had ordered food from the outlet. As a result, 72 households across South Delhi, including in Hauz Khas and Malviya Nagar, have now been quarantined. (Some news outlets have reported that only 72 people, and not 72 families, have been quarantined).
So far, none of the quarantined customers have been tested for Covid19. “All of them are under home quarantine, and will be tested if they develop symptoms,” B.M. Mishra, District Magistrate (South Delhi), told The Indian Express. However, the delivery person’s colleagues have been tested for Covid19, and the results are negative. But, as a precautionary measure, the operations of the outlet he worked at have been suspended, Zomato said.
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“While cooked food delivery is an option for many, it’s also a necessity for about a fourth of the population, including students and young professionals who live on their own. We have to serve them and offer the best standards,” Vivek Sunder, chief operating officer of Swiggy, told The Economic Times, advising customers to transfer the delivered food into a different container, and re-heat it, before consumption.
Both Zomato and Swiggy have assured their customers that they have stepped up safety measures in the wake of the pandemic, and will provide financial aid to their delivery staff in case they case they contract Covid19.