Tamil Nadu: Journalists, police brace for personal battle with Covid-19

Selvaraj A | TNN | Updated: Apr 22, 2020, 06:07 IST

A police officer gives samples for rapid test at a camp

CHENNAI: The peril of doing duty during a pandemic has dawned on the state’s policemen and journalists as several of them have waded into the grip of the virus. At least two policemen and several mediapersons have contracted the infection so far, sending police and the media fraternity into a tizzy. Given the nature of their duties they can neither stay away from scene of action, nor underestimate the further spread they could trigger.
While bandobust duty near quarantine zones and facing road users put police personnel at risk, journalists visiting hospitals for information or attending press conferences of health ministers and officials exposed themselves to infection risk. Television journalists and camera persons are most vulnerable in that regard.
Depending on their duty spot, police in the city have been categorised as most vulnerable, vulnerable and least vulnerable. Those posted near government hospitals or in the vicinity of corona wards and quarantine blocks are identified as most vulnerable. Those on traffic regulation duty come under vulnerable and ministerial staffs doing office duty are the least vulnerable.
Police commissioner A K Viswanathan said, “We are giving priority to those working at the most vulnerable places.” He ensured rapid test was done for policemen at all police stations in the city. He designated all assistant commissioners of police as nodal officers to coordinate with assistant engineers and junior engineers at corporation zonal offices for the purpose.
On his part, Chennai Corporation Commissioner G Prakash instructed all his subordinate officials to conduct the rapid test for Covid-19 for police personnel immediately.
The first case of a journalist turning positive for Covid-19 was reported on Saturday, and since then groups of journalists are attending special testing camps organised by the state health officials. Besides the testing centre at a city college, PCR was done for about a dozen journalists covering the Madras high court proceedings, at the Rajiv Gandhi General Hospital. They were asked to take the test after a junior assistant at the government pleader’s office, who tested positive, had mingled with lawyers and journalists during a court proceeding.