E-Paper
Assam police personnel in line of Covid-19 fire; 12 tested positive so far, 180 quarantined earlier
The viral outbreak cases have been reported from the districts in the region’s most populous state, where police personnel has been quarantined after they came in contact with Covid-19 positive patients.
Several Assam Police personnel has contracted SARS-CoV-2, which causes coronavirus disease (Covid-19), as part of the frontline workers trying to rein in the raging pandemic.
In Guwahati, 12 Assam Police personnel has tested Covid-19 positive so far, while around 180 were earlier quarantined in the north-eastern state’s biggest city.
The viral outbreak cases have been reported from the districts in the region’s most populous state, where police personnel has been quarantined after they came in contact with Covid-19 positive patients.
“In Guwahati, 12 police personnel had tested Covid-19 positive and some of them have recovered from the viral infection. Earlier, around 180 police personnel was in quarantine. But, later many tested Covid-19 negative,” said MP Gupta, commissioner of police, Guwahati.
Recently, 12 police personnel from the Hatigaon police station in Guwahati was put under quarantine after a thief, who was arrested for stealing a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder, tested Covid-19 positive.
In the past few days, four traffic police personnel, two from police battalions within the city, a security officer of an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and two policemen posted at police stations in Guwahati have been found positive.
In Nagaon district, 11 police personnel from the Haibargaon police station was placed in quarantine after a girl (15), who was allegedly abducted and later rescued, tested Covid-19 positive.
“The girl was rescued on June 16, and she tested Covid-19 positive five days later. The 11 police personnel involved in the operation have been put in isolation and their swab samples have been sent for tests. Their reports are pending,” said Gaurav Abhijit Dilip, superintendent of police (SP), Nagaon.
Police personnel has been urged to be more cautious while dealing with the public and criminals.
Besides, random checking of swab samples has also started in Guwahati to keep a check on Covid-19 positive cases.
“Besides the usual precautionary measures, police stations and vehicles are being sanitised. General health check-up of the police personnel is also being done frequently,” said Gupta.
“However, our work takes us to all kinds of public spaces. Many police personnel runs the high risk of coming in contact with Covid-19 patients because of our public exposure on a daily basis,” he added.
Earlier on Tuesday, Assam’s Covid-19 tally crossed 6,000 after 203 new cases were reported. So far, the state has recorded nine Covid-19 related death and 3,762 people have recovered from the viral infection.
Also on Tuesday night 11 wards, under Guwahati Municipal Corporation, have been placed under lockdown after 100 Covid-19 positive cases were detected that didn’t have any recent travel history or came in contact with infected people.
The state government is conducting 50,000 Covid-19 tests within the civic body’s jurisdiction till June 30 to ascertain the spread of the viral outbreak.
