Over 1,000 policemen from Visakhapatnam district have tested positive for COVID-19, which they contracted while on duty.

Among them, 589 personnel are from various wings of the city police while 328 are from the district police. Ninety personnel are from the Andhra Pradesh Special Police (APSP). A number of CRP personnel are also hit by the virus, it is learnt.

There are some police stations in both the city and the district where most of the personnel were affected due to the virus. Families spent many a sleepless night after some of the police personnel faced severe health complications after contracting the virus.

Having Appughar and Peda Jalaripeta, the COVID-19 hotspots under their limits, most of the staff of the MVP police station including the Station House Officer (SHO) tested positive for COVID-19. The staff at the police station were directly exposed to the virus while conducting counselling programmes, manning the area, and shifting COVID-19 patients to hospital.

SHO Ch. Shanmukha Rao had to spend almost 12 days in hospital, including seven days in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), after testing positive for COVID-19. He took around 20 days to recover from the virus. “I suffered from breathing problems for some days. My body temperature was very high and with some co-morbidities, it was a nightmare for me. My family was under a lot of stress,” Mr. Shanmukha Rao said.

After two weeks, the SHO is again back on duty. “The support I have received from the department as well as the doctors is invaluable,” he recalled.

Mungagapaka police station in Anakapalle Rural police station limits saw 10 of its personnel being affected by COVID-19.

“Most of our staff were hit by the virus as they did patrolling in containment zones. The virus also spread to a few family members of some personnel. Fortunately, all of us have recovered,” said D. Srinivasa Rao, Sub-Inspector of Munagapaka police station, who was welcomed by locals with a floral shower when he rejoined work after recovering from COVID-19.

According to a police officer from the district, even when the pandemic continued to spread rapidly, a number of people approached the police stations seeking help.

“It is our duty to deal with public issues and rectify them. We cannot avoid them, no matter what happens. Moreover, many fell ill after patrolling containment zones,” he said.

Department support

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone I) Aishwarya Rastogi, among the 589 policemen who were affected due to the virus, around 80 are still active cases as of now, while the rest have recovered. The department is giving complete support to the personnel as well as the families, he said.

From bringing in glass shields to appointing liaison officers to check the status of COVID-19 patients, the department is lending a helping hand to the policemen, he said.

Superintendent of Police B Krishna Rao conducted a video chat with the personnel affected by COVID-19 to give them moral support. A senior officer from the district police said that tests are being conducted on a massive scale for the frontline warriors. “The policemen are being given kits and every police station gets a pulse oximeter. For a long time, we are allotting only desk work to those over 55 years of age. A help desk was also set up for COVID-19 in the office,” he said.