Mumbai cops: Give us place to stay or allow us to send families home

Despite being right in the middle of the pandemic Mumbai police have been dedicatedly discharging their duties every day The brave cops however have been troubled by many issues primary among them being the risk of their families getting infected as the cops spend at least 12 hours outsideThe police have been the main enforcers of social distancing in the city With them running a huge risk of contracting Coronavirus police personnel want the government to set up alternate residential facilities for the forceSome have demanded that the government allow them to send their families to their village so that they stay away from infectionThe demand is resonating right from constables to the IPS officers as two personnel have already contracted the virus With over 500 cases of the 1000 in Maharashtra Mumbai is a Coronavirus epicentre Apart from health workers the police force is the most vulnerable workforce at the frontline of thebattle against CoronavirusPolice personnel and their families were tested for Coronavirus at a Borivli staff quarter on TuesdayPersonnel living in staff quarters at Borivli and their families were tested for Coronavirus on Tuesday after a 35yearold subinspector tested positive on Monday The building the subinspector resides in was sealed off by the BMC which also tested 118 people living thereA police officer residing in the society said Our building has been sealed but I am on duty After getting myself tested I resumed duty I want to send my entire family to our native place But with the lockdown it is impossibleAnother subinspector from the society said We have asked MP Gopal Shetty and senior officers to save our families If my family tests negative I want to send them to our village in DhuleEvery day I meet so many people on the road at the police station isolation centres hospitals and many more places I could infect my entire family If they were at our village I could do my duty happily without worriesShetty who visited the quarters said All personnel also want their families to be tested The test is too costly We can check for symptoms and test accordingly Another lady officer also asked for her family to be sent away We will work on this Police and doctors are gods I will help with whatever they needAn IPS officer residing in the suburbs also expressed similar concerns Like many other cops I too am worried about my family We are on the field for over 12 hours every day handling many people sometimes facing small crowds at marketsWhile going home I wonder what if I am infected and pass on the virus to my parents or kids We dont know how long this will go on I understand that the government is prioritising positive patients And though it is practically difficult they must ponder this matterA constable living in Worli police camp said The government can create a facility for cops in schools and colleges where they can rest I dont want to pass the infection to my kids Lets hope the government thinks out of the box to tackle thisCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news