Enforcing Covid norms not easy this year, says Karnataka DGP Praveen Sood

BENGALURU: Call it their resistance to follow Covid discipline or the sheer fatigue of reeling under a highly transmissible virus for the second consecutive year, the enforcement of Covid-appropriate behaviour (CAB) is proving to be a challenge for enforcement agencies.

“It’s not that easy to enforce Covid restrictions on people the second year on,” said Director General & Inspector General of Police (DG&IGP) Praveen Sood. “People want the government to control the spread of the virus, but they question every restriction that affects their daily lives. Enforcement of Covid-appropriate behaviour is proving to be a challenge this year, largely because of the irresponsible public behaviour and their response to the virus,” he added.

“The police are doing their best, but this year, along with enforcing CAB, they also have to do their core police duties unlike last year during the lockdown,” said the police chief on the day when the State police with the help of Health Department were conducting a mass Covid testing drive for their personnel, who have returned from election duties in the neighbouring states.

Around 2,000 KSRP personnel, who have just returned from election duty in Kerala along with 10,000 home guards, who returned from Tamil Nadu, and 2,000 home guards, who are back from Kerala and Puducherry, are being tested for the virus. He said, “We need to be focussed on housekeeping and take care of our personnel and their families. Though 90 per cent were vaccinated before they were sent on election duty, they have to be tested for Covid after their return.”

Sood said that 90% of the nearly one-lakh strong police personnel have received their Covid vaccination. “This year, the rate of infection is not high among the police, but we are beginning to see it in their families. So far, only eight cases of Covid infection in the police have been reported from across the State, but there are 500 cases reported in their families. It is worrisome,” he added.