RT-PCR test awaits weekend curfew violators

By Praveen Kumar | NT

Bengaluru, Jan. 8 The West division police have come up with a novel idea to stop people from staying outdoors during the weekend curfew. They would seize the vehicle of curfew violators and subject them to an on the spot Covid-19 test.

If the person tests positive, he will be sent in an ambulance to the nearest hospital having a Covid ward.

“There will always be some people who will take all the guidelines very lightly. The only thing that can stop them from coming out is to create a scare. The sight of a person wearing a PPE kit will definitely scare anybody. This ‘special arrangement’ to conduct on the spot RTPCR tests for those caught for violating the weekend curfew is done in all the police limits of the West division,” said an officer attached to the West division.

Even If the tests are negative, the said persons will not only be booked for violating the guidelines, their vehicles will also be seized. If they are tested positive, they will be sent directly to the hospitals.

“So we are advising the public other than the front line workers and health warriors, nobody should step out of their houses. It will be a tedious process to get their seized vehicles released from the police,” the officer added.

During the previous lockdowns and weekend curfews, the police had adopted various methods to discourage the public from going out and loitering on the empty streets. One of the methods was to put the violators in an ambulance where a person inside the ambulance would pretend like a Covid-19 patient. The violators would desperately try to come out of the ambulance.

The other method was to stop the vehicles by Lord Yamaraja, the deity of death. The Halasuru traffic police would scare the violators by wearing helmets that looked like the Covid 19 virus.

The West division police from Friday 10 pm have so far seized 111 two-wheelers, 10 three wheelers and 4 four-wheelers.