Coronavirus lockdown: Decision to resume Delhi Metro operations to be taken by govt, says DMRC

DMRC is working on protocols for social distancing and other safety norms.

Vandana Ramnani

May 15, 2020 / 18:10 IST

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has said that the decision to resume Metro rail services in Delhi NCR will be taken by the government after which the detailed protocol to be followed by passengers for travelling in the Metro will be shared.

Protocols for social distancing and other safety norms are being worked upon for passengers for using metro trains and station premises whenever services are ordered to be resumed, officials said.

“At present, DMRC is taking up the necessary cleaning mechanisms inside the trains and indoor areas of stations such as entrance lobbies, corridors, staircases, escalators, elevators, security area etc.

Other necessary logistical arrangements such as provision for hand sanitisation/thermal screening at stations and installation of social distancing related signages are also being handled in the interim," DMRC said in a statement.

Markers would also be used to facilitate social distancing.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

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There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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