A 52-year-old Government Railway Police constable (GRP) on Tuesday became the first police personnel to test positive for COVID-19 in Maharashtra.
The GRP has come up with a list of 32 people he had come in contact with the constable so that they can be quarantined. The constable is currently being treated at Kasturba Hospital.
The GRP found that the constable was there at his south Mumbai outpost from March 15 to 22. Later, following the lockdown, GRP was only calling only one-third of its staff to duty on a given day.
“Accordingly, he was called to work on March 24 and 27. We have checked where he was posted and who all were on duty with him. We have drawn up a list of 32 police personnel, majority of them constables, and sent it to the health officials,” a senior officer said.
The officer added that currently, doctors have advised the 32 police personnel and the family members of the constable, to be in quarantine. “High-risk contacts would be tested while we will check if anyone else is showing symptoms,” the officer said. The GRP outpost will also be sanitised.
“Since train services had been shut, the constable had limited interaction with anyone else. We are trying to find out how he came to the outpost from his residence and who all did he come in contact with during the commute,” the officer said.
GRP personnel were coming to work either in their personal vehicles or in those being organised by the department after the trains went into the lockdown.
Coronavirus outbreak in Uttar Pradesh: Food vendor held for offering coronavirus cure
