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For the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the active cases among the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) officers and personnel is in single digits.
According to Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) data, CAPFs have only six active cases on May 30. Among the individual forces, CRPF, National Security Guard (NSG), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have reported zero active COVID cases while Border Security Force (BSF) and Services Selection Board (SSB) have reported a single active case each. Meanwhile, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) recorded four active cases. It is a big achievement in terms of the safety of security personnel because due to the nature of their job they are vulnerable to getting infected as personnel stay together in barracks, eat in the same mess and travel together, a senior official said. As per the data, a total of 1.11 lakh personnel got COVID-19 infection out of which 1.10 lakh recovered and 356 succumbed to the virus. The least infected force was NSG which reported only single death. "Precautionary dose has been administered to all eligible personnel. Only the personnel with comorbidities or other health issues were exempted," he said. The official further added that precautions will continue to take place. Central Armed Police Forces are going to be deployed for the upcoming Amarnath Yatra, and ITBP is already deployed in Char Dham yatra for the safety and security of pilgrims. "Going with the record number of pilgrims visiting Char Dham yatra, we are expecting a record number of pilgrims in Amarnath Yatra as it going to resume after two years. CAPFs personnel will manage the crowd and other duties that will involve close interference with the public," said an officer in BSF. Another officer with CRPF said that it's kind they have developed strong immunity and are ready to be at work with full capacity with more confidence on all fronts. At the pandemic's peak, among the seven CAPFs, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was the worst affected due to COVID-19 with 33,244 personnel getting infected and a total of 136 losing their lives. But at present, the force reports zero active COVID-19 cases. "We were deployed in elections duties when COVID-19 was at its peak. We have already seen the worst phase. All personnel are vaccinated including Precautionary dose so there is no need to worry. Regular yoga and other activities help maintain the immunity," the CRPF officer added. COVID-19 appropriate behaviour like a face mask, sanitiser, and regular hand wash will be advisable to all personnel. (ANI)
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