UP 112 office shut again as more staffers test positive for Covid-19

LUCKNOW: The headquarters of UP112, the UP Police emergency helpline, had to be shut again hours after resuming operations on Monday after six more employees and their three contacts were diagnosed with Covid-19, taking the number of its cases to 24 in four days.
A total of 23 cases were reported on Monday pushing the city’s tally to 829.
The UP112 building in Gomtinagar Extension that runs 24X7 helpline for attending emergency calls to UP Police, fire and ambulance services apart from other urgencies had been closed on Saturday afternoon for sanitisation for 48 hours after five staff members had tested positive for novel coronavirus.
Operations had resumed at around 10am on Monday, but the headquarters were again closed in the evening.
ADG UP112 Asim Arun said the office will now reopen on getting a green signal from CMO Lucknow.
The first case was reported on Thursday when a technical employee of the helpline managed by a private company was found infected. Later, eight members of his family tested positive, followed by his five colleagues on Saturday. Five more staff members and their three contacts tested positive on Monday, said CMO Dr Narendra Agarwal.
All contacts of those who tested positive on Monday have been asked to home quarantine themselves and will be tested. Besides, samples of more employees will be collected for test. Earlier, chief minister’s Covid-19 helpline operational from a building in Vibhuti Khand was shut after an outbreak.
The remaining cases detected on Monday included three persons of Natkheda and two each from Geetapalli, Rajajipuram and Gomtinagar extension.
They all are contacts of people found infected earlier. Besides, one resident each of Mohan Road, Aliganj, Mawaiya and Charbagh also tested positive.