New Delhi: The Union Government was planning to turn some railway coaches into isolation wards for patients with Covid- 19, as authorities scramble to prepare the country’s health infrastructure for an expected surge in cases.

The Government taking steps to form isolation wards, one train coach has been turned into a prototype quarantine facility, Indian Railways said in a statement on Saturday. Once they get clearance, the plan is for each of the country’s railway zones to convert 10 coaches into such wards every week, the company added. The railway has 16 zones, according to its website. Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked citizens to stay indoors for three weeks in the world’s biggest lockdown, seeking to curb the spread of the illness. The network of trains, the country’s lifeblood, has been idled.

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal in his twitter said that “Railways will offer clean, sanitized & hygienic surroundings for the patients to comfortably recover”. He did not specify how many people could be cared for in each coach.

India has reported Covid- 19 pandemic +ve cases reached to 987 in India on Saturday, as per the data from the Union Health Ministry and State Governments. The Covid- 19 active cases identified are 880.

According to the WHO, Covid- 19 infected cases atleast 5, 75, 000 people across 201 countries in the world. Covid- 19 has claimed over 26, 000 lives across 201 countries. The Covid- 19 outbreak has been particularly grim in the US, Italy and in Spain apart from China.