Prisoner tests positive for coronavirus, 20 cops, 10 jail personnel quarantined in Thiruvananthapuram

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With a remand prisoner testing positive for Covid-19 in Thiruvanathapuram along with 11 other persons on Sunday, around 20 cops at Venjaramoodu police station and 10 personnel at special sub jail, Poojapura have been quarantined.
The person was arrested and remanded into judicial custody for drunken driving along with two of his friends. On Friday noon, they got drunk and drove a car which hit a cop’s two wheeler at Venjaramoodu. The police team on patrol chased down the car and all three of them were taken to Venjaramoodu police station.
Five cops of the station have directly handled the person who was tested positive. They were also presented in front of the magistrate and were taken to special sub jail where six other remand prisoners were also brought in on Saturday. All of their swabs were taken and were being housed in a separate block. The results of all other prisoners came negative.
Two personnel at special sub jail directly handled the infected person and 10 staff were present at that time in office. The police authorities said that the cops and personnel at police station and special sub jail returned to homes on Sunday since it was their off day.
It remains to be seen whether they have got into close contact with their family members, neighbours, relatives or any other persons in their locale. The health team has begun contact tracing and initiated epidemiological investigation as to how the prisoner had contracted the disease.