Maharashtra: Five police officers, 14 constables contract coronavirus infection

Soumitra Bose | TNN | Updated: Apr 15, 2020, 20:33 IST

A BMC workers sprays disinfectant on a policeman in Mumbai (ANI Photo)

NAGPUR: As many as 19 personnel of the Maharashtra Police, including five officers, have been tested positive for Covid-19 infection so far while enforcing the national lockdown aimed at taming the coronavirus outbreak. The cops are now recuperating at different medical institutions.
Apart from being affected by the ailments, around 78 incidents of attack on policemen have also taken place in the state during their various enforcement duties, especially stopping citizens from stepping out of their houses without exempted reasons. Around 162 people have been arrested for attacking cops in the state.
It’s learnt that 19 cops contracted the virus in the last few days during the course of their duties. Following the coronavirus outbreak, the cops had to play pro-active roles along with the other departments to contain the spread of the disease.
According to a senior official, the cops on duty were provided with gloves, sanitizers and face masks from welfare funds and later through special budgetary allocations in different units across the state.
“Special instructions too have been shared with the grassroot-level personnel regarding the safety measures but the infection cannot be ruled out absolutely,” said the officer.
Apart from tracing out the suspected patients with travel history, the cops had to be also posted at the different medical colleges where the positive patients are being treated. The police personnel are also playing a key role in guarding the institutional quarantine facilities and are also keeping vigil on home quarantines.
After the issue of the migrant labourers came to the fore, the cops had to play a major role in intercepting them and shifting them to shelters homes.
It is learnt that several cops were mostly exposed to Covid-19 while trying to trace and escort members of a particular community with travel history among whom the disease had spread alarmingly due to initial ignorance.