People who visit police stations in Bengal will now have to rub their hands with sanitiser before they register a complaint.

Following a state government order, all police stations in south Bengal districts have been asked to follow the guideline – along with a host of other precautionary measures – to prevent an outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

“A person will be deployed at the entrance to all police stations to dispense hand sanitiser in the palms of visitors, including police personnel who come in from public duty. There will also be an arrangement for a wash basin,” said a senior police officer.

Sources said several police stations had already purchased hand sanitisers and deputed civic volunteers or police personnel at their entrances. A few police stations have also put up posters near the gate asking people to clean their hands before entry.

“Precaution for ‘Corona’ Covid-19: People coming here are requested to clean your hands before entering the police station,” reads a poster that was put up in front of Birbhum’s Dubrajpur police station.

Bhaskar Mukherjee, East Burdwan’s police chief, said all police stations had been asked to keep sanitisers. “We have directed all senior officials of police stations to use sanitisers as per the guideline of the state health department,” said Mukherjee.

Sources said apart from washing their hands, police personnel had also been instructed to wear masks while on duty or interacting with visitors.

“Police personnel, including the shifts of sentry, mobile duty or duty officer (who receives complaints at the police station), have been asked to put on masks to avoid any kind of contact with the virus. The masks will be delivered from the district headquarters,” a senior police officer in Birbhum said.

Tathagata Basu, the superintendent of Hooghly (rural), said masks and sanitisers had been arranged for all police stations in his district. “Visitors have also been asked not enter police barracks without permission from competent authorities. Police officers were asked not to shift their posts before informing the officers concerned,” he said.