Coronavirus: 26 sailors at key Mumbai base test positive for Covid-19

Covid-19 in India: The army confirmed that a lady officer posted at the Military Hospital, Dehradun, has tested positive for the disease and the necessary contact tracing was being done. All primary contacts of the lady doctor are under home quarantine.

In the single largest case of Indian military personnel being infected with the novel coronavirus, the navy on Saturday said 26 sailors from a key naval base in Mumbai have been placed under isolation after testing positive for Covid-19.

The cases have been traced to a single sailor who tested positive for Covid-19 eleven days ago. All the sailors live in the same residential complex. They are all in their 20s, except the oldest who is 47. (AFP/ Representative image)

The sailors from INS Angre --- a logistics and administrative support base under the Western Naval Command --- are being monitored at the navy’s premier hospital INHS Asvini. These cases have been traced to a single sailor who tested positive for Covid-19 eleven days ago. All the sailors live in the same residential complex. They are all in their 20s, except the oldest who is 47.

“The detection of these Covid-19 cases is a result of meticulous contact tracing and aggressive screening/testing carried out by the Western Naval Command after one sailor tested positive on April 7 (he is among the 26). All these sailors continue to remain asymptomatic,” navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said.

The cases have come at a time when the navies of the United States and France, are grappling with an alarming rise in coronavirus infections on some of their frontline warships. The first Indian sailor to test positive on April 7 contracted the disease from a retired sailor who was infected by his son who came to Mumbai from the United States, a naval officer said on condition of anonymity.

The navy hasn’t had any Covid-19 case onboard any of its warships, submarines or air stations so far. INS Angre is under lockdown to prevent the spread of infection.

“Since the sailor was tested positive for Covid-19, the entire unit (INS Angre) has been sealed off. Containment zones and buffer areas have been designated and frequent disinfection continues to be carried out as per protocol to contain spread by breaking the chain of transmission,” Madhwal added.

The spokesperson said stringent quarantine and safety protocols have been enforced for personnel and their families at INS Angre, with door-to-door screening being undertaken for identification of more cases if any.

In a recent address to naval personnel, navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh stressed that it was vital to ensure that operational assets such as warships and submarines remained free of the virus and the navy was combat ready at all times.

As reported by Hindustan Times on April 9, Singh told his men in a 15-minute video message that while they should hope for the best, the navy should plan for the worst.

The navy chief said it was imperative to redouble efforts to ensure that navy personnel and their families stayed safe and healthy. “We are the last bastion in this fight. And if we who are supposed to be the care givers become care seekers, it will lead to a big problem,” Singh said in the message.

The navy said on Saturday that it remained fully combat-ready and also prepared to participate in the national mission to fight the pandemic as well as provide support to friendly neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region.

“Our assets continue to remain on patrol covering a vast oceanic swath from the Strait of Malacca in the east to Bab-el-Mandeb in the west, including undertaking Op Sankalp to provide reassurance and protection to our merchant vessels and anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden,” Madhwal said.

All missions for coastal and offshore security continue unhindered, he added.

Meanwhile, the army confirmed that a lady officer posted at the Military Hospital, Dehradun, has tested positive for the disease and the necessary contact tracing was being done. All primary contacts of the lady doctor are under home quarantine.

In a statement on its latest Covid-19 case in Dehradun, the army dismissed reports that a large number of doctors at Lucknow were the lady medical officer’s primary contacts.

“It is clarified that as per medical protocols none of the medical officers at Lucknow fall in the category of her primary contacts. It is further clarified that none of those doctors are symptomatic as on today. However, as a precautionary measure, they are being quarantined at their respective stations for 14 days before they start working in hospitals,” the army said.