Now, Patiala police will take violators to COVID testing centres

Tribune News Service
Patiala, March 19

Taking a serious note of the increase in coronavirus cases, the district administration and police authorities have decided to take violators to the nearest COVID testing facility.

This task would be carried out by the newly constituted Mask Surveillance Teams (MSTs).

Patiala SSP Vikram Jeet Duggal said that Patiala Police have deployed four Special Mask Surveillance Teams (MST)—one each in Patiala City, Rajpura, Samana, and Nabha—in addition to local area police for enforcing mask-related guidelines to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Duggal said that MSTs are creating awareness and distributing masks, as well as, issuing challans to violators.

Enforcing compulsory of wearing face masks—which is considered to be the only way to break the transmission chain of the deadly disease—Mask Surveillance Teams have been made, and directed to all those roaming in public areas, and on the roads and streets, without face masks, to the nearest  RT-PCR Testing Facility, and getting COVID tests done.

 “Given a sudden increase in Covid-19 cases, and taking the government’s recent COVID guidelines into account, the administration has started taking all-round measures including imposing night curfew from 09:00 PM to 05:00 AM and booking mask related violators through challans,” said Duggal.

 During the month of March, Patiala Police has booked as many as 2,500 violators for various violations. Overall, as many as 38,944 Challans have been issued while registering 909 FIRs and arresting 1,312 people, seizing 127 vehicles.

SSP has appealed to all citizens to follow all COVID related guidelines (wear a mask, maintain social distance, frequent handwashing/sanitization, and to come out of the house if necessary) issued by the government to prevent further spread of the Virus.