30 fresh Covid-19 cases reported in BSF, 24 in Tripura
Two BSF personnel had succumbed to Covid-19 on Thursday. These were first casualties due to the pandemic in central police forces, which guard several airports and the Delhi Metro.
The Border Security Force (BSF) said on Friday that 30 more of its personnel have contracted the coronavirus disease Covid-19. Out of these, 24 are from Tripura and six from Delhi.
In a statement, the BSF said, “All of them are under the best available medical care at AIIMS (Jhajjar) and at G B Pant Hospital (Agartala).”
It also said that after surfacing of these cases, frequencies of sanitisation efforts of work places and barracks have been increased. “Improvised methods like water cannons are used for quick disinfection of buildings and establishments. BSF personnel are repeatedly sensitized to firmly adhere to preventive protocols,” the statement said.
Talking about the fresh cases in Tripura, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said that all of them were reported in the 86th battalion headquarters of the BSF located at Ambassa in Dhalai district.
“ALERT 24 persons from 86th-Bn BSF Ambassa found COVID-19 POSITIVE. Total COVID-19 patients in Tripura now stands: 88 total cases, active cases: 86, discharged: 02. There is no POSITIVE case among civilians. Stay Safe,” he tweeted.
“22 Covid-19 positive cases reported from 138 battalion BSF Ambassa including a lady and three children. Samples of all 298 BSF personnel in 138 battalions have been collected and tested. In the same campus, 86 battalion of BSF is also located. At present, 673 samples of BSF are under screening from both these battalions at the Ambassa and other camps,” said S K Rakesh, Assistant CS of Tripura.
He said 30 persons including doctors, nurses and paramedics are being specially trained for dealing with Covid-19.
Two BSF personnel had succumbed to Covid-19 on Thursday. A Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) jawan deployed at Mumbai airport also died due to the disease, taking the total Covid-19 cases in central paramilitary forces to over 500.
These were first casualties due to the pandemic in BSF and CISF, which guard several airports and the Delhi Metro.
Till Wednesday, the tally of Covid-19 cases in the paramilitary forces was around 400, according to government data.
