3 police stations reopen after disinfection drive

Coimbatore: Three of the five police stations, which were sealed in the district after cops there tested positive for the novel coronavirus, were reopened on Thursday after the disinfection drive.
Meanwhile, Ukkadam police station, which was the fifth one to be sealed after a head constable tested positive, was shifted to a marriage hall located on Vincent Road, from where it would function for three days. Health officials have traced the primary and secondary contacts of the infected cop and collected their throat swabs for testing. The test results are likely to arrive on Friday.
Rajavelu, inspector of police, Ukkadam station, said, “We have instructed the cops who are deployed for vehicle check and beat patrol, not to come to the police station. They have also been advised to take kabasura kudineer. Only those cops, who are assigned administration work, would work from the marriage hall.”
The reopened police stations comprise the ones in Thudiyalur, Podanur and Sulur.
Thudiyalur police station was closed a few days ago after eight police personnel tested positive for the virus. Seven of them were admitted to the Codissia Covid care centre as they were asymptomatic, the remaining one was admitted to the ESI Hospital. The station was subsequently shifted to a nearby marriage hall. It was reopened on Thursday morning after fumigation.
Balamurali Sundaram, inspector of police, Thudiyalur, said people won’t be allowed inside the police station. “Only eight cops are allowed to work inside the station. We have set up a tent in front of the police station to receive petitions from the public.”
Similarly, Sulur and Podanur police stations were reopened on Thursday after the disinfection drive. While Sulur police station had recorded only one case, two cops were tested positive at Podanur police station.