Cross Country

85 more BSF personnel test Covid-19 positive; tally at 152

By Grand Master

May 06, 2020

New Delhi: Eighty-five more Border Security Force personnel tested Covid-19 positive on Wednesday, raising the number of infected BSF personnel to 152, highest among all central armed police forces (CAPF).

In all, around 400 CAPF personnel have been infected by coronavirus.

All the 85 BSF personnel were engaged in essential duties, said an official. Till Tuesday, 69 BSF personnel, posted at different locations, were found Covid-19 positive. While two have recovered, 67 are undergoing treatment.

The BSF said it had been strictly following standard operating protocols (SOPs) at its establishments to check the spread of pandemic.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has reported 146 Covid-19 cases, the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) 45, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) 15 and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) 13.

Meanwhile, the BSF headquarters at the CGO Complex in south Delhi has started functioning under protocols. It’s first and second floor areas were shut on Monday after a Head Constable tested Covid-19 positive on Sunday.

The condition of the Head Constable, being treated at a Covid-19 hospital of the ITBP in Noida, UP, is stable.

The BSF is mandated to guard 4,096 km Indo-Bangla and 3,323 km India-Pakistan borders. (IANS)