The traffic police have been instructed to stop the use of breath analyser apparatus so as to contain spread of corona virus
A circular has been issued by Vinay Kargaonkar, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Maharashtra Highway Police, on Monday. It instructs all police personnel to suspend breath analyser tests needed to check drunk driving. This circular is in view of the outbreak of coronavirus which has seen the highest numbers in the state of Maharashtra.
This apparatus has to be put into the mouths of motorists to check the level of alcohol in their system and hence its use has been stopped with immediate effect as a precautionary measure. The test would be resumed once the situation is normalised.
Official circular read – “Outbreak of coronavirus has been reported in the state. To contain the spread of the virus, the police personnel need to take precautionary measures accordingly. Hence, Traffic Police personnel in all police units should not conduct breath-analyser tests for alcohol consumption by motorists.”
However, regular checking of vehicles by police personnel will continue. In the meanwhile, the Home Ministry has confirmed that the number of drunk driving cases have seen a significant decline over the past few years. The numbers declined from 18,000 in 2015 to 11,700 in 2018 while numbers are still high and accidents due to drunk driving still feature high on the statistics.
Maharashtra has recorded the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases at 39, up from 33 on Sunday Pune has 6 cases, Pimpri Chinchwad has 9 reported cases while Mumbai has 6 and Nagpur 4. There are 3 cases each at Yavatmal, Kalyan and Navi Mumbai and 1 each in Raigad, Thane, Ahmednagar and Aurangabad.
The situation in the state is being tracked efficiently and effectively. Not only have the Maharashtra Police issued instructions to prevent the spread of the virus among road users but has also instructed its personnel and staff to take precautionary measures to keep this dangerous virus at bay.
The police will also guard public quarantine facilities so as to prevent patients from leaving the premises and will conduct regular checks on patients ordered to be quarantined in their homes.
