The coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday claimed the life of yet another frontline worker in Anantapur district — a police official who was on COVID-19 duty.
Circle Inspector (Traffic) G. Rajasekhar succumbed to the virus at the KIMS-Saveera Hospital on Tuesday evening. This is the third death in the police force in the district. Another police officer in the district who tested positive for COVID-19 is convalescing in hospital.
Superintendent of Police B. Satya Yesu Babu expressed grief over Rajasekhar’s death and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family.
Parigi Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police Sk. Habibullah was the first policeman to die of COVID-19. Director General of Police D. Gautam Sawang travelled to Anantapur and paid tributes to the deceased police officer. The second was an Armed Reserve Constable and Dharmavaram MLA Kethireddy Venkatarami Reddy’s gunman who posthumously tested positive for coronavirus.
“The police force has been at the forefront in imposing the lockdown and controlling traffic on streets and restricting unessential travel. Manning the containment zones has been another challenge as there is the danger of getting infected,” police officers point out.
Meanwhile, there were 10 COVID-19 deaths recorded in a span of 24 hours till Monday evening. There were 185 new cases recorded by Monday evening, taking the total number of coronavirus cases in the district to 3,651. This is not including the 300 cases hailing from other States and countries. The death toll due to COVID-19 in the district now stands at 40.
