Over 100 contacts of Azadpur Mandi's corona victim identified so far

In the wake of the death of a commission agent at Azadpurs wholesale fruits and vegetables market in Delhi due to novel coronavirus, authorities have started the process of tracing all those who came in contact with the victim before his demise and have identified over 100 such persons so far, an official said on Wednesday.

New Delhi, April 22 In the wake of the death of a commission agent at Azadpurs wholesale fruits and vegetables market in Delhi due to novel coronavirus, authorities have started the process of tracing all those who came in contact with the victim before his demise and have identified over 100 such persons so far, an official said on Wednesday.

Area Deputy Commissioner Deepak Shinde said a test report had confirmed that the man died of coronavirus infection. The IAS officer said that all those in contact with the victim would be identified/traced and quarantined.

Officials said efforts are on to trace more contacts of the 57-year-old 'arhatiya' who died at a private hospital in Shalimar Bagh here on Tuesday. The man had complained of high fever for 4-5 days and was admitted to the hospital on April 19.

The Azadpur mandi is Asia's largest wholesale market for fruits and vegetables and is crucial to the supply of the same in the region, especially at a time when a lockdown is imposed.

A fruit merchant at the mandi, Deepak Yadav, said that the victim had visited the market till April 18 and even complained of fever.

It was learnt that many persons had come in contact with the victim, both at the wholesale market as well as outside.

Most family members of the victim were stuck in Kolkata as they had gone there for a family function even before the nationwide lockdown was announced from the midnight of March 24.

A wholesaler in the market, Kesar Singh, said that the sellers at the mandi have urged the Delhi government to get the entire premises sanitised properly and also take other measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the market.

The Delhi government has arranged for keeping the market open for 24 hours. While the sale of fruits and vegetables is allowed between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., trucks are allowed entry to load and unload between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Only 1,000 persons are allowed to enter the market every four hours, that too after issuance of coupons.

( With inputs from IANS )