Hyderabad: Covid warriors slay the virus, come up trumps

HYDERABAD: He was in the midst of a team meeting in June when his phone buzzed. He reluctantly picked up the mobile and a stranger at the other end delivered a cold message – his Covid-19 test result was positive. For a moment, the news had unnerved Hyderabad additional commissioner of police (law and order), DS Chouhan, but he gathered himself and decided to take the virus head-on.
“I panicked for a second.I wrapped up the meeting quickly and went home. I quarantined myself and calmly broke the news to my family,” recalled the senior officer, who returned to work after 10 days in isolation.
Recalling the initial days, Chouhan said, he was more worried about his family. “We know the risks. I had visited every floor of Gandhi Hospital apart from routine duty. Soon after the pandemic broke out, I started taking precautions by keeping a distance from my family. It was months ago that I hugged my kids,” the officer, who had mild symptoms of, told TOI.
But soon he beat it. “I did not take it lightly. Even after I resumed work, I was extremely cautious for at least a week. I asked my team not to come to my cabin. If I had to see a file, they were asked to drop it at the doorstep and I would pick it up only after they left,” he said.
Over 400 police personnel with the Hyderabad police commissionerate have resumed duties after battling the coronavirus infection. Moghalpura additional inspector, Ranjit Kumar Goud (38), is among them. “I was at home when I got the results. I was worried because the day before, I spent time with my kids,” he said.
As Ranjit had mild symptoms, he took treatment at Gandhi Hospital for the first 10 days, and quarantined himself at home for the next 11 days. He breathed a sigh of relief when his other family members tested negative for the virus.