Four more Murthal dhabas on Chandigarh-Delhi highway face closure as staffers found infected

ROHTAK: Four more dhabas (roadside eateries) at Murthal in Sonepat district on the Delhi-Chandigarh highway face closure after 14 workers there tested positive for coronavirus disease (Covid-19), officials said on Tuesday.

Last week, 81 employees of two dhabas, namely Amrik Sukhdev dhaba and Garam Dharam, had tested positive. The food outlets were sealed and a sanitisation drive was carried out.

The health department got down to collecting samples from more dhabas in an 8km stretch in Murthal and found five workers of Pahalwan Dhaba, three from Kubair Hotel, one each from Jhilmil and Aahuja dhabas besides four others tested positive on Monday evening.

A health official said these outlets and hotels would be sealed for sanitisation.

“We have collected 950 samples from various dhabas over the past week and nearly 100 workers have been found to be infected with coronavirus,” the official said.

Set along the highway that connects Delhi with Haryana, Punjab and beyond, the dhabas of Murthal are popular halt points for travellers. Samples of employees were collected after videos surfaced on social media recently, showing Covid-19 guidelines being flouted at these eating joints.

No case against owners

The Sonepat district administration is yet to register a case against the owners of these dhabas for violating social distancing norms. Sonepat deputy commissioner Shyam Lal Punia declined comment on the issue.