Twenty-one serving Indian Navy personnel have tested positive for Covid-19 within a naval premises in Mumbai. This includes 20 sailors of INS Angre, a shore establishment at Mumbai.
As per the Indian Navy, most of these personnel are “asymptomatic and have been traced to a single sailor who was tested positive on April 7”.
“They all reside in the same accommodation block at INS Angre. All primary contacts (though asymptomatic) were tested for Covid 19. Entire living block was immediately put under quarantine – containment zone and INS Angre too is under lockdown,” the Indian Navy said in a statement.
The Navy also said that all actions as per established Covid-19 protocol were being taken and that there were no cases of infection onboard ships and submarines.
This development comes at a time when the US Navy has been struggling to contain a spike in Covid-19 cases on some of its frontline ships.
On April 9, the Indian Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh, in a 15–minute long video message to navy personnel—had said that the Navy, while hoping for the best, needed to be ready for the worst and that this was going to be a long battle.
Indian Army has so far reported eight positive cases including two doctors and one nursing assistant.
In a bid to tackle the challenge posed by Covid-19, the armed forces have already cancelled all non-essential trainings, conferences and travel. They have also put a stop on assemblies that involve more than 50 personnel and have also put a free on postings and foreign assignments. Also, while postponing all courses for officers, the armed forces have been encouraging personnel to work from home wherever possible.