THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major concern, as many as 92 police personnel in the state have tested positive for Covid-19 until Friday. They include three policemen at Kilimanoor police station in Thiruvananthapuram district, the gunman of the deputy speaker and a sub-inspector at the police headquarters in the capital. With this, the other personnel at the Kilimanoor police station and other officers in the headquarters who had contacted the infected officers have been asked to go into quarantine. As per the latest information, 23 policemen are under treatment at various Covid First-Line Treatment Centres in the state. Of the 92 infected officers, 69 have recovered, according to the police.
In a message to the public six months after the infection was first reported in the state, State Police Chief Loknath Behera on Friday said the state police have devised new strategies, which will be implemented from Saturday. From now, senior officers will be deployed to contain the spread in the police force. He said a special drive titled ‘Protect to Protect’ would be implemented to ensure that the police personnel on Covid-19 duty are safe.
“It is a matter of concern that the police force is vulnerable to the disease because of the nature of their duties. However, we are trying to reduce the virus spread among the police force and the fight against the virus will continue. As part of it, we have devised new strategies by involving senior police officers in the fight against Covid-19 in the wake of the rise in contact cases,” Behera said.
He also praised the efforts of policemen in the state in enforcing the lockdown restrictions diligently. “No complaint of police excesses while enforcing the restrictions has been received. In fact, the enforcement was done in a praiseworthy manner by adhering to the social distancing norms. The police also spread awareness among the public by making short films and sharing them on social media. The police were also hailed for addressing the plight of guest workers in the state. We also enforced a triple lockdown in the containment areas,” the DGP added.