The State government has tasked the police to monitor COVID-19 cases unobtrusively and lookout for infected persons who leave their premises without informing authorities. Those currently under police surveillance include COVID-19 infected persons in hospitals, hostels and homes.
Law enforcement is also keeping a tab on those are believed to have been exposed to infected persons. There are a significant number of persons under quarantine or self-imposed isolation. The government has made social distancing an enforced policy.
Cases of people skipping isolation, including a batch of foreigners who boarded an aircraft in Kochi unchallenged, had prompted the government to call upon the police to implement the plan. The administration has also asked the police to limit social mixing until the epidemic threat receded proactively.
The decision had resulted in the belated arrest of television reality star Rajith Kumar at Attingal here on Tuesday on the charge of having endangered public health by organising a reception outside the Cochin international airport by his fans. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had called the television personality’s act a “challenge to the people”. The State could ill-afford such slip-ups that incrementally strain its finite resources, he had said.
The police have asked beat officers to visit homes where infected persons or those suspected of exposure to the virus are in residence and report on their well-being.
Meanwhile, the law enforcement has come under criticism from the Opposition for giving mandated anti-epidemic safeguards and other measures the go-by.
Congress charge
Congress State chief Mullappally Ramachandran slammed State Police Chief Loknath Behera for not going into isolation after he and another bureaucrat returned after a visit to London, an epidemic hotspot. He said Mr. Behera had chaired meetings and gone about business as usual without any testing. Mr. Ramachandran demanded an explanation from Mr. Vijayan.
