The steady rise in the number of new COVID-19 cases has prompted State Police Chief Loknath Behera to ask law enforcers to maintain a detailed log of their daily activities.

In a circular issued on June 25, Mr. Behera asked them to record their daily perambulations and particulars of persons they had contacted or interacted with.

The police were in the front line of pandemic control activities and hence risked exposure. They had repurposed their social role as enforcers of the COVID-19 health protocol and behaviour code.

The government has tasked the law enforcement to seal containment zones, enforce wearing of masks, curb crowds in public places, and ensure citizens complied with physical distancing norms.

The State’s containment strategy would be jeopardised if officers were exposed to the virus.

Airport delay

Mr. Behera also felt that the delay in processing expatriates at airports had caused anxiety among passengers. The District Collector should expedite the procedure at airports by deploying additional officers for data entry and other allied work.

In some places in north Kerala, some persons appeared disposed against COVID-19 patients and their families. The police should act against those who stigmatise patients and their families and attempt to ostracise them socially.

Releasing bodies

The SPC also noted the delay in releasing bodies to relatives after the mandatory COVID-19 test.

The hold-up had caused law and order situation in some places. A high-level meeting chaired by Mr. Behera on Thursday also noted that Kerala State Road Transport Corporation buses ferrying passengers from airports to their homes or quarantine centres took avoidable detours. The meet decided to commandeer more KSRTC buses and taxis for ferrying expatriates. Mr. Behera said the police should not turn back migrant workers returning to Kerala. Instead, they should be sent to institutional quarantine centres.

Wedding passes

District Collectors would issue passes to those seeking to go to other States for attending weddings. However, applicants should produce a no-objection certificate from the State they proposed to visit. Persons coming here for attending weddings should go into quarantine for 14 days. The rule also applied to couples who entered Kerala after marriage in another State. People who accompany newlyweds from other States should also go into quarantine.