Coronavirus: People are calling 911 on coughing neighbours

Authorities must take every call placed with emergency services seriously

Some residents in California have been calling emergency services about neighbours who they suspect are infected with coronavirus, according to local reports.

Multiple police departments have received calls from residents who can hear their neighbours coughing or sneezing and are concerned that they may have contracted Covid-19, according to local newspaper The Desert Sun.

Sgt Mike Casavan told the newspaper that Palm Springs police dispatchers had around five of these calls last week.

Cathedral City Police Cmdr Paul Herrera of Cathedral City police department, who also handle 911 calls from the neighbouring city of Desert Hot Springs, also received similar calls to their emergency lines, according to the report.

In a lot of cases, the calls are said to be forwarded to the fire department and paramedics are dispatched to assist the individual and provide any needed medical attention.

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The person may then also be transported to hospital if necessary.

Authorities must take each call seriously, and can’t ignore such calls or discount them as paranoia, hypochondria or fakery.

However, close contact between individuals with suspected symptoms and members of the emergency services could risk an increase in transmission of the virus.

“If that happens enough, we worry about calls for service,” California Peace Officers Association President Neil Gallucci told The Desert Sun.

”We’re prepared to deal with issues that come up, but it’s a concern chiefs worry about,” he said.

California has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic and has a surge on Covid-19 cases with at least 751 people infected with the virus and 13 deaths.