2 days on, health dept clueless on infection source of Ludhiana ACP

City police are preparing a list of around 50 people who came in direct contact with the ACP, who is presently on ventilator support at a hospital in Ludhiana

Two days after an assistant commissioner of police (ACP) in Ludhiana tested positive for coronavirus, the health department remained clueless about the source from whom he contracted the virus. The city police, on the other hand, are preparing a list of around 50 people who came in direct contact with the ACP (North), Anil Kohli, who is presently on ventilator support at SPS Hospital near Sherpur Chowk here.

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The list includes deputy commissioner of police (DCP) level official who had visited the hospital for complete health checkup, additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP), and other officials.

According to the officials, Kohli had also visited Jalandhar in the first week of April to meet his brother who was suffering from jaundice. Kohli had also met his cousin (sister) who lives in the city. The samples of both the persons and their family members have been sent for testing.

Kohli was also deployed at the New Sabzi Mandi near Jalandhar Bypass on March 27 and 28, the days of huge rush. The ACP was also involved in the search operation of Tablighi Jamaat followers in Basti Jodhewal area in the first week of April following reports that the positive patient from Chowki Mann village in Jagraon sub-division had visited the area and met many people living in Tibba and Basti Jodhewal.

Besides sending district mandi officer Balbir Kaur, who had attended a meeting with the ACP on March 28, to self-quarantine, the police department also contacted a market president in Chaura Bazar area who had met Kohli twice in the past 15 days.

The report of 15 persons, including two station house officers (SHOs), which was sent on Sunday is yet to arrive.

Civil surgeon Dr Rajesh Bagga said all contacts of the ACP were being screening and samples of the people who came in direct contact, including his wife and children and others, have been sent for testing.

Deputy commissioner Pradeep Agrawal said so far a total of 844 samples of suspected Covid-19 patients were sent for testing, of which 668 persons were tested negative.

1,900 IN HOTSPOT ZONE SCREENED

Meanwhile, the health department screened 1,900 people living in 413 houses of the hotspot zone in Amarpura area of the city, and Chowki Mann and Gure village in Jagraon. As per the health department, none of the persons showed any flu-like symptom.

Besides, 48 teams screened 142 persons, of which 87 were kept under home quarantine.