All delivery executives working for Swiggy and Zomato in Ranchi will have to be tested for Covid-19 as a precautionary measure to prevent spread of infection among consumers, officials from Food Safety Department of Jharkhand said on Wednesday.

Not only delivery boys but also chefs, cooks and other staff working in restaurants have to be tested for the virus in a bid to adhere to the safety standards during the pandemic, said Ranchi's food safety officer, SS Kullu.

“Third party food delivery companies and restaurants that have employed delivery partners have to ensure that all delivery boys are tested,” said Kullu. “There is no such mandate as of now, but food delivery companies and restaurants will soon be asked to get their employees tested for Covid-19 to maintain safety standards,” he added.

Several families in New Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru were quarantined during the lockdown period after food delivery boys, who frequented the localities, were found infected. However, no such incident was reported in any of the cities in Jharkhand, officials said. 

Food delivery boys have been providing their services to Ranchi-ites throughout the lockdown period. The delivery boys had to visit different localities during this period, and it was difficult to find out if they came in contact with any Covid-infected person, officials said.

“We are planning to conduct a survey to find out the total strength of delivery boys working for Swiggy, Zomato, local food delivery companies and restaurants,” said Kullu.

While there is no data available with the food department on the number of food delivery boys in Ranchi, sources said that around 1000 such delivery boys were working in the state capital. These delivery partners were also roped in for delivering grocery, vegetables and even alcohol in cities across Jharkhand.

Meanwhile, the health department has directed deputy commissioners of all districts to conduct Covid tests of vegetable and fruit vendors as they were likely to spread the infection among a large number of people.

A directive from health secretary Nitin Madan Kulkarni on Tuesday said that vegetable vendors and roadside hawkers were often found flouting the safety norms for Covid 19. Testing them, the directive said, was important as they come in contact with a large number of people every day.