Punjab Health Department turns to police for contact tracing

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, June 25

Health Department officials have turned to the police to trace the contacts of Covid patients.

Despite repeated requests and reminders, many Covid-positive patients continue to hide their travel details and recent social contacts. Sources say many passengers coming from abroad do not reveal their complete travel history and usually misbehave with ASHA workers, who have been deputed to track such returnees.

A senior IPS officer says the police have been getting requests from health officials and the district administration to track the primary contacts of Covid patients who try to hoodwink the authorities. “We have decided to track movement of all such patients to ensure there is no community spread,” he says.

“There is nothing wrong in travelling or meeting friends. But in the present scenario, it is important for people to be responsible and share accurate details, including travel history and other movement,” said a Health Department official. The fight against Covid-19 has posed several challenges before the Health Department. One of them is tracing the contacts of the patients, as many are reluctant to reveal the names of their contacts. In almost every district, teams of cops have been tracing mobile tower locations and call records of patients.