Food delivery boy tests positive for coronavirus, 72 families in South Delhi put in quarantine

A 19-year-old food delivery boy has tested positive for COVID-19 in the national capital, prompted authorities to put people in 72 houses in South Delhi where he delivered pizza in the past fortnight in quarantine in their homes, and 17 of his colleagues in a government facility.

The delivery boy, who resides in Savitri Nagar area of the capital, had delivered pizza in Malavya Nagar and Hauz Khaz areas in these houses in the past 15 days and authorities have asked all families to be in-home quarantine for the next 14 days.

Seventeen delivery boys who were in close contact with the patient have been moved to a government quarantine centre in Chhattarpur.

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Officials said that they were investigating how the delivery boy got infected by the coronavirus. He has been having cough for the past few days and as he did not show signs of recovery, he was taken to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital for testing, they said.

The restaurant where the delivery boy worked has suspended all operations.

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In a statement, food delivery platform Zomato said some of the orders delivered by the restaurant were placed on Zomato and it was not sure whether the rider was infected at the time of delivery.

"This restaurant had instructed their riders to wear masks and follow strict hygiene to keep customers safe from any unintended mishap. All co-workers of the said rider have been tested negative," it said.

"We also believe that none of our riders should and would knowingly keep working if they know they are infected with COVID-19. We check body temperatures of tens of thousands of our riders every day to make sure that this essential service runs as safely as possible," the statement said.

The government has allowed home delivery of cooked food while it has not allowed having food at the restaurants.