Over 1 lakh cops deployed in Gujarat to enforce COVID-19 rules

More than 1 lakh police personnel have been deployed across Gujarat to ensure strict enforcement of COVID-19 guidelines in light of the recent rise in infections, an official said on Wednesday.

At least 56,000 police personnel, 5,000 staffers of the State Reserve Police (SRP), over 13,000 home guards and 30,000 jawans of the Gram Rakshak Dal (GRD) have been deployed across the state, the official said.

The Gujarat government on Tuesday extended the night curfew and other day-time restrictions in 36 cities by another week, in order to contain the viral spread.

Following the announcement, Gujarat Director General of Police (DGP) Ashish Bhatia on Tuesday held a virtual meeting with senior police officers and directed them to strictly enforce the rules and guidelines issued by the state government, a release stated.

All police officers have been directed to ensure that people in their respective areas wear masks, maintain social distancing and follow all the COVID-19-related standard operating procedures, it was stated.

According to the release, the police have been asked to stop any public celebration of upcoming festivals, mainly Eid and Lord Parshuram Jayanti.

Officers have also been directed to keep a check on weddings and ensure that not more than 50 persons are present at venues, it said.

The police have so far registered 514 cases and arrested 666 persons for violating wedding-related notification that prohibits gatherings of more than 50 persons, the official said.

On May 10 alone, the state police registered 2,445 cases related to different violations and arrested 2,423 people, he said.

Apart from this, over 10,000 people were fined for mask violation and for spitting in public, he added.

Gujarat on Tuesday recorded 10,990 fresh COVID-19 cases and 118 casualties that took the tally of infections to 7,03,594 and toll to 8,629.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)