In view of the outbreak in India, the government has instructed police to stop using breathalyser devices to check for alcohol levels in motorists. The government off Maharashtra has sent out a circular to the police in the state, instructing them to stop the use of breathalyser machines.
This is one of the many measures the government is undertaking in order to contain the outbreak. The outbreak has caused chaos across the globe. The virus has claimed thousands of lives and lakhs stand affected by it.
In India, over 140 people have tested positive for the virus and it has so far claimed 3 lives. The virus spreads through a person’s hands, when he/she touches sensitive areas such as the mouth, nose or eyes.
Thousands of people come in close proximity to the breathalyser machines used by the police at a drunk and drive checkpost. Usually, the police use sanitised pipes for direct contact with the mouth, to make blowing into the machine easier.
However, the police usually do not carry enough of these little tubes in stock and hence end up asking motorists to blow into the device from close quarters. In either case, motorists are bound to get infected through the machine.
Hence, the government of Maharashtra took this initiative to contain the outbreak. Maharashtra is one of the worst-hit states in India. Hence, this brilliant initiative was put in place. However, the circular also stated that checking would continue as usual.
Without the use of breathalysers, it only means that the police will have to manually smell the breath of motorists, thereby putting the lives of police personnel at risk. We hope the government comes up with another solution to this problem. At the same time, we also think other states should implement the same order and ban the use of breathalysers cases drop and people recover.
