Against the backdrop of more than 100 sailors testing positive onboard a US aircraft carrier, Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh on Thursday asked his personnel to ensure social distancing in submarines and warships to avoid coronavirus pandemic.
The captain of the US ship had later resigned.
Asking the rank and file of the Navy to redouble current efforts to ensure that all personnel and their families are safe, the Navy Chief in a video message said the services are the last bastion and “if the care givers become care seekers it will be a big problem.” “It is going to be a long battle,” he cautioned.
Singh also said “We have to ensure that our operational assets, specifically ships and submarine, remain free from the virus. It is a very difficult task because physical distancing onboard ships and especially submarines is very tough… but physically we will maintain the required distance of six feet,” he said in a video message released to the force.
Stating that the challenge is not over yet and it is only going to intensity in days and weeks ahead, Adm Singh said, “It will require us to augment our preparedness. It can be no longer business as usual. We need to take concrete measures so that we are geared and prepared to tackle the full onslaught of this deadly virus.”
He outlined three priorities to all personnel. First is to redouble the current efforts to ensure that our personnel and our families are safe, ensure operational assets, specifically ships and submarine, remain free from the virus. Second is how can we support the overall national effort which the Navy is already contributing in a big way across all stations, he observed. He also said the spirit of innovation over the last two weeks has been very heartening referring to various developments like the hand held thermal scanner, assisted respiratory devices among others that were adapted for usage.
Looking ahead, Singh said everyone should keep our guard up and “retain our sights on being combat ready.” “Operational readiness must remain an imp priority. We should hope for the nest and plan for the worst. We need be ready for the worst case scenario. It is going to be a long battle.”
Once the lockdown is lifted, he said movement by personnel will be done in a deliberate and coordinated fashion. It might be delayed but there should be no rush, he stated.
In case situation worsens, he said the Navy should scale up facilities to handle people, facilitate cross state movement from one coastal state to another, assist local authorities in law and order, prepare make short vehicles for movement and intensity efforts for community kitchens and support groups among other measures. “All this while ensuring that perimeter security and overall security, access control, surveillance and response to asymmetric threat should never go down,” he added.