Chennai, A group of people assaulted healthcare workers near Kovilpatti in the Thoothukudi district of the state when they tried to take family members of a Covid-19 patient for tests, said the police on Sunday.

According to the police, a person who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat meet in Delhi tested positive for coronavirus.

On Saturday, health officials visited his residence and requested the family members to come to hospital for tests. The family members initially refused, but later relented and boarded the vehicle requisitioned by the health officials.

However, a group of people gathered there to prevent the family of five to be taken to hospital for Covid-19 tests, a police official told IANS.

The people also attacked the health officials. But with the help of the police, the family members were taken to the hospital and thier samples were collected. The family is being kept at the hospital.