RAWALPINDI: Five police and three Rescue 1122 officials in the Rawalpindi division have been diagnosed with Covid-19, the regional police officer and rescue services said on Sunday. Police personnel are undergoing random testing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Two of the police officials are from Rawalpindi, two are from the Jhelum district and one is from Attock, RPO Sohail Habib Tajik told Dawn.

He said all five officials have been placed in isolation and are recovering slowly. Among those who tested positive is a head constable with the Race Course police, who has been admitted to the Rawalpindi Institute of Urology (RIU) and is stable.

The Potohar superintendent of police visited the constable’s family and assured them that he is being taken care of and his family was provided financial assistance.

Police said they are taking all the measures possible to keep the coronavirus from spreading in Police Lines headquarters and other police establishments, although social distancing is not being practiced fully.

Three Rescue 1122 officials have also tested positive for Covid-19; a rescue official had previously been diagnosed as well, but has since recovered.

A Rescue 1122 spokesperson said that all three officials were taken to RIU after they were diagnosed.

One of the officials was posted to the Pirwadhai station and the two others were working at the kutcherystation; they likelycontracted the virus while transporting Covid-19 patients to quarantine facilities.

One of the officials tested positive for Covid-19 and was taken to RIU on Friday, and the other two were diagnosed on Saturday.

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2020