Thane: Two workers of a crematorium test COVID-19 positive

"They should also be given good quality PPEs as the kits provided to them presently are of substandard quality," he said. They were found infected after they got themselves tested," S K Mahavarkar, in-charge of the Thane Municipal Corporation's crematoria, said.

Two employees of a civic crematorium in Thane city of Maharashtra have tested coronavirus positive, an official said on Sunday. They have been admitted to different hospitals in the city for treatment, he said.

"While one of them is a driver of a mortuary van, the other one handles and carries bodies of victims. They were found infected after they got themselves tested," S K Mahavarkar, in-charge of the Thane Municipal Corporation's crematoria, said. Their family members have been quarantined now, he added.

Meanwhile, the Thane unit chief of the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), Sachin Shinde, demanded that all the employees working in the city's crematoria should be tested for COVID-19 as they are the high-risk persons who have to handle the bodies, including those of the COVID-19 victims. "They should also be given good quality PPEs as the kits provided to them presently are of substandard quality," he said.