J&K Police Send 40 Cops to Quarantine After Son Of Sub-Inspector Found Covid-19 Positive

The son of a sub-inspector was among 22 people who were tested positive for the disease, taking the J&K’s Covid-19 count to 300.

(Photo by Tauseef MUSTAFA / AFP)

Srinagar: J&K  Police have sent around 40 personnel in quarantine posted in Joint Interrogation Centre, Kupwara after the son of a police officer tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Wednesday. The son of a sub-inspector was among 22 people who were tested positive for the disease, taking the J&K’s Covid-19 count to 300. Soon after the cop's son had tested positive, his family was placed in quarantine along with other police personnel who had been with him during the duty. All precautions were taken per the procedure to put them in quarantine, informed IG Kashmir Vijay Kumar. Samples of the SI, as well as remaining family members, have been obtained and reports will come soon, he added. According to the sources in the J&K police, in case the reports of the officer is positive then several senior officers will have to be quarantined as the concerned officer is heading a unit of counter insurgency, special operations group (SOG) in the area and was constantly in touch with them. As per the initial information, the SI had left home for duty on March 28 while his son comes in contact with the first patient from Muqam-e-Shahwali on March 31. “We are hopeful that his test will be negative but in any case, there is no need to worry as precautionary measures are being taken as per the notified protocol,” added the source. The quarantine situation may jeopardise the counter insurgency operations. However, officials dismissed any such report saying that they have enough boots on the ground to fill in the gap for the next two weeks.

India entered the 23rd day of its nationwide lockdown on Thursday. The total number of positive cases in India crossed the 12,000 mark and the death toll surged past the 400-mark.