Police on a mission mode to trace foreign returnees

Teams are creating awareness among public about the potential health risks

Telangana police along with the officials of health and other departments are on mission mode to trace all people (Indians and foreigners) who have come from foreign countries after March 1.

The agenda is to know where they are living, if they have any symptoms, and to follow up on their health condition for 14 days from the day they returned from abroad.

The Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) team, comprising a Station House Officer, Tahsildar and a medical staff follow up their condition for 14 days. If anyone develops symptoms during this duration, they will be taken to isolation centres at Hyderabad and samples collected for tests.

The process started from December 17, after Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar held a video conference with collectors, superintendents of police, commissioners of police and officials of various departments across the State. However, the exercise intensified on Friday, a day after Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao held an emergency meeting with collectors, SPs and CPs and directed them to trace people who came to the State after March 1.

While speaking to foreign returnees and their family members, the IDSP teams are taking a precaution of maintaining at least two metres distance.

Speaking to

The Hindu a senior police officer said that the foreign returnees are the potential carriers of COVID-19, as all the patients tested positive in the State have returned from abroad.

“Our task is to know that they are healthy and safe, which will act as a preventive measure,” the officer said, adding that the probability of those people getting affected and spreading the virus is more.

The officer said that in the last few weeks a large number of people from Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Rangareddy districts who migrated to various Middle Eastern countries have returned home.

“Our teams are visiting their houses and are asking them to go on self-isolation for 14 days and if they have any symptoms they must approach the nearest health facility or call 104 for help,” said Rajanna-Sircilla SP Rahul Hegde.

In Sircilla they have identified 560 people who returned from Gulf countries after March 1 and 99% of them are under self-isolation, he said. “Only two persons had symptoms, but they were tested negative,” Mr. Hedge said.

Jagtial SP Sindhu Sarma said that they have identified over 1,100 people who came back to the district from different countries in the last two weeks. “Our SHOs, along with tahsildars and medical officers are visiting them to know their current health condition. We are creating awareness about the virus in the community and asking them if anyone in the neighbourhood fell sick,” she said. Ms. Sarma said that community watch is necessary and plays a key role to prevent the spread. A large number of people from Jagtial district go to various Gulf and Middle East countries in search of livelihood.