Police launch special operation in WP to detect those flouting COVID guidelines

Police yesterday (8) conducted a special operation within the Western Province to check whether the public were adhering to COVID-19 health guidelines. 

The operation was conducted from 2.00pm to 4.00pm and officers carried out checks on whether buses were transporting passengers over their seating capacity, whether members of the public were wearing face masks properly covering their nose and mouth and whether air-conditioned buses had their windows open to ensure air circulation.

Police also checked on whether pharmacies and grocery shops and other small shops have displayed notices outside their shops showing the number of customers that can be admitted at one time and whether they were adhering to this by admitting only the given number of customers. 

Police deployed 445 officers for the operation and they checked 868 passenger buses, 150 air-conditioned buses and 1159 pharmacies, grocery shops and other smaller shops during the operation, Police Headquarters stated. 

During the operation, officers detected 309 passenger buses, 38 air-conditioned buses and 455 shops that were flouting the health guidelines issued by the Director General of Health Services. The drivers of these buses and shop owners were severely warned by police to strictly adhere to health guidelines, the statement said.