All police personnel in Perambalur district have been asked to get themselves tested for COVID-19 after a policeman in the district tested positive for the virus.
The policeman, attached to the V. Kalathur police station in the district, tested positive for COVID-19 and has been admitted to the Tiruchi Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital (MGMGH) where he has been undergoing treatment since Friday night, Superintendent of Police Nisha Parthiban said.
The head constable’s samples were taken after he reported symptoms of fever and cough. The test report arrived on Friday evening after which he was sent to the Tiruchi hospital.
The patient is undergoing treatment at the MGMGH and is responding well, doctors in Tiruchi said.
“He has no travel history to any other state or abroad. He is likely to have come into contact with a patient who tested positive,” R. Yeganathan, Medical Superintendent, MGMGH said.
Ms. Parthiban said that about 260 police personnel in the district have since been ordered to get tested as a precautionary measure. The police personnel in V. Kalathur and other nearby areas will be given priority for the time being, she said. Authorities also said the V. Kalathur police station has been sanitised and sealed.
Meanwhile, A. Amalraj, Inspector General of Police, Central Zone, told The Hindu on Saturday that all the police personnel attached to the V. Kalathur station would be subjected to compulsory testing. They would be taken off from front-line duty until further notice. A batch of police personnel would be posted in place of them for the time being. All contacts of the head constable would be put in quarantine.
He said that all police personnel in the Central Zone had been alerted to follow all safety precautions while handing over the confiscated vehicles to their respective owners. Physical distancing should be maintained while enquiring with curfew violators and other offenders. The Superintendents of Police would be given clear instructions to safeguard police personnel.
As a precautionary measure, all front-line police personnel in the zone have been asked to subject themselves for COVID-19 testing in batches, he said.
