RAWALPINDI: Eight officials from the Punjab police have tested positive for Covid-19 while another nine are suspected patients.

According to a report on police officials affected by the coronavirus, eight officials have tested positive and nine, including a traffic warden from Lahore, are suspected patients.

One of the positive patients is associated with the Punjab Constabulary in Rawat. He is currently admitted to the Rawalpindi Institute of Urology (RIU) along with his mother, who is also a Covid-19 patient.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Shoaib Aqeel told Dawn that shortly after the official sent his medical report to the office, he was contacted by a police official for verification and was found to be admitted for treatment at RIU.

The official’s father told Dawn he is feeling well at the hospital and is waiting for test results. He said he was in isolation for 14 days.

Among the officials who have tested positive, five are from Lahore, two from Sialkot and one each from Rawat and Gujrat. They have all been hospitalised, although one of the officials who was unwell in Sialkot was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday, according to his brother.

Nayab Haider, the spokesperson for the inspector general of police (IGP) Punjab, told Dawn that some police officials have been affected by the coronavirus, but most have recovered and none are in critical condition.

He said police personnel have been stationed at quarantine centres and hospitals, because of which they are directly exposed.

He added that when the coronavirus outbreak in the country, the IGP Punjab issued an advisory to the police force to take precautionary measures and provided funds for personal protective equipment such as gloves and hand sanitisers, and began fundraising.

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2020