Sailors along with INS Angre quarantined
In one of the biggest cases so far in the armed forces, at least 26 naval personnel tested positive for Covid-19 at the Western Naval Command, Mumbai. Taking urgent steps to contain the spread of the pandemic, the Navy along with other authorities quarantined the sailors along with INS Angre, the shore-based naval establishment where the cases were detected.
The Army has so far reported eight cases, including two doctors and all the affected are now under treatment and recovering.
Giving details of the cases reported from the Navy, which are the first for the service, officials said on Saturday this number includes 20 sailors of INS Angre. Most of these are asymptomatic and have been traced to a single sailor who tested positive on April 7.” INS Angre is the shore-based logistics and administrative support establishment of the Western Naval Command in Mumbai.
All the sailors reside in the same accommodation block at INS Angre and all primary contacts, though asymptomatic, were tested for Covid-19, the Navy said. Following this, entire living block was immediately put under quarantine and INS Angre too is under lockdown and all actions as per established Covid-19 protocol are being taken. “There are no cases of infection onboard ships and submarines,” the Navy added.
So far among the three Services, the Army had reported eight positive cases, of whom two are doctors and one nursing assistant. “Four others are responding well to treatment and we had one case in Ladakh, he is now coronavirus free and has rejoined duty,” Army Chief Gen Manoj Naravane said on Friday.
Early this month, in a video message to the rank and file, Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh said the challenge is not over yet and it is only going to intensify in days and weeks ahead and outlined the priorities one of which was to ensure that 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 are very tough… but physically we will maintain the required distance of six feet,” he had stated.
His exhortation came days after navies of the US and France fell prey to the pandemic with their aircraft carriers Roosevelt and Charles De Gaulle respectively reporting number of positive cases among the sailors. While the French ship reported over 1,000 positive cases, the US aircraft carrier also saw nearly the same number of such cases. In fact, the captain of the US warship later resigned.
Meanwhile, the Navy said in the wake of the cases that their warships continue to be mission-deployed in three dimensions, with all the networks and space assets functioning optimally. The Navy remains combat-ready, mission-capable and is in full readiness to partake in the national mission to fight the pandemic as well as to provide support to our friendly-neighbours in the strategically vital Indian Ocean Region(IOR).
Highlighting some of the operational deployments, officials said the warships continue to remain on patrol covering a vast oceanic swath from the Straits of Malacca in the East to Bab-el-Mandeb in the West, including undertaking Operation Sankalp to provide reassurance and protection to our merchant vessels and anti-piracy patrols in Gulf of Aden.
As regards the cases, they said the detection of these Covid-19 cases was a result of meticulous contact tracing and aggressive screening/testing carried out by Western Naval Command after one sailor tested positive on April 7.
All these sailors continue to remain asymptomatic and are being monitored at INHS Asvini, under the care of the best medical professionals.
Since the sailor was tested positive for Covid-19, the entire premises of the unit have 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.
All other areas within naval premises have been under strict lockdown and stringent quarantine and safety protocols have been enforced for personnel and their families, with door-to-door screening being undertaken for identification of cases, if any.
All missions for coastal and offshore security continue as before. Operational units are being maintained in readiness by following a 14-day quarantine routine to meet immediate contingencies, including assistance to civil authorities and friendly maritime neighbours.
Several quarantine facilities have been set up in naval premises at Mumbai, Goa, Kochi and Visakhapatnam for use by our countrymen. Last week, a batch of 44 piilgrims from the Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir who were quarantined at the naval facility in Mumbai after returning from Iran, returned to their homes fully satisfied with the care and comfort they received from the Indian Navy. Naval aircraft have undertaken many missions flying supplies and personnel aiding State Governments.
Defence Public Sector Undertaking (DPSU) Bharat Electronic Limited (BEL) on the directions of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has taken up manufacture and supply of 30,000 ventilators within two months for Intensive Care Units (ICU) in the country, the Defence Ministry said on Saturday. In addition another DPSU, Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) is also developing a ventilator which is to be tested soon.