Every day, around 6.30 a.m., a team consisting of a doctor, two nurses and a health worker visits the vehicular checkpoint at Loan Square in Broadway. The medical team assesses the basic health status of the traffic police personnel, checking their pulse rate, blood pressure, body temperature and symptoms of COVID-19. Supply of free medicine and safety kits, which include gloves, masks and face shields, to these personnel follows.
The screening exercise is not restricted to Loan Square, and is carried out at all 24 vehicular check points within Flower Bazaar Traffic Police Sub-division limits, which include police stations at North Beach, Muthialpet, Elephant Gate, Fort St. George and Kothavalchavadi.
“The police at vehicular points come in close contact with the public every day and hence they are more prone to contracting the virus. Hence, an on-the-spot health check-ups are necessary,” says S. Sampath Balan, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Flower Bazaar Police.
On an average, each vehicular check point has 10 police personnel, including a sub-inspector, four traffic police personnel, and two woman constables — who work in three shifts.
The traffic wing of the Chennai Police Commissionerate has four zones — North, South, East and West with each zone having at least 20 police stations within its limits. And, the Flower Bazaar Police comes under the North zone.
On an average, each traffic wing of a police station covers at least 20 to 25 vehicular checkpoints during the existing lockdown that is in effect since May 10. With the easing of restrictions, there are 15 to 20 checkpoints now.
Welfare organisations with qualified personnel have been roped in to carry out these on-the-spot health check-ups.
The exercise is expected to continue through the lockdown, say police officials.
