Once “crownless,” Tripura sees an increase in BSF battalion cases

Tripura had her first two COVID patients in early April. 40 cases were reported in the last five days (Express Photo by Pradeep Kumar)

Two weeks after Prime Minister Biplab Kumar Deb announced Tripura free of the new coronavirus, the state saw a recent outbreak in the number of cases identified, all from a single source.

Tripura has identified 22 new cases of coronavirus among BSF jawans from the headquarters of Force 138 battalion in Ambassa in Dhalai district, which was declared a “red zone” two days ago. These new cases have rounded the state’s cumulative active crown count to 62.

This is the fourth day in a row that BSF jawans tested positive for COVID-19 from the same battalion. The first two crown cases of the 138 battalion were reported in May. Since then, multiple cases were identified each consecutive day.

Alert!

22 people from 138th-Bn #BSF Ambassa found # COVID-19 POSITIVE today including 18 men, 1 woman, 3 children.

Total # COVID-19 POSITIVE cases in Tripura are 64 (2 already registered, so active cases: 62)

Don’t panic, the government is working vigilantly.# TripuraCOVID19Count

– Biplab Kumar Deb (@BjpBiplab) May 6, 2020

Tripura had her first two COVID patients in early April. One of them was a woman who visited the Kamakhya temple in Assam and the second patient was a jawan from the Tripura State Rifles (TSR) who returned from service in Madhya Pradesh. Both patients recovered and were released from isolation in the same month and shortly thereafter, Prime Minister Biplab Kumar Deb tweeted that Tripura had been “freed from the crown” on April 23.

Chief Secretary (Home) Barun Kumar Sahu wrote to Inspector General Solomon Minz of the BSF Tripura borders on Tuesday to investigate the origin of the cases and the steps taken by BSF to prevent further spread among the general public and submit a report to the government as soon as possible.

Speaking to indianexpress.com, a BSF Public Relations Officer (PRO) reported that they have launched a full-scale investigation into who first carried the virus load to the battalion.

“We don’t have any details yet. But more than 250 staff members traveled back from the license or were training elsewhere in India in March. Some of them may have unknowingly recovered the virus load. We are investigating the problem and will present report to the state government within the stipulated period, ”the official reported.

He added that since the blockade was imposed, BSF has been following a series of precautionary measures to avoid any possibility of spread of the coronavirus.

All massive physical activities, including PT, sainik sammelan, or other gatherings, are temporarily suspended to prevent the spread of the virus in BSF camps. Regular staffing was also reduced to the previous escalation of the situation. At the moment, no civilian or worker is allowed to enter any BSF camp, nor can any BSF jawan interact with civilians. Jawans who stay outside of the rental camps and at headquarters with their families also cannot enter the camps.

Earlier this afternoon, Additional Chief Secretary SK Rakesh reported that 435 COVID-19 tests were conducted across the state today, including 259 from the most affected Dhalai district. These tests include BSF personnel from the affected battalion and 51 civilians from Mogbari and adjacent villages.

The official also reported that three areas that were previously declared “containment zones” are being closely monitored and that approximately 5,000 families living there were strictly asked to stay at home.

Samples were also collected from 786 BSF personnel from 138 battalions and another battalion posted nearby and Bheem, Kareena and SM Para Border Out Posts (BOP) along the Indo-Bangla border.

The border agency has suspended joint patrols and drills with its Bangladeshi counterpart, the Bangladesh Border Guards (BGB), and there is now no exchange of documents. However, the BSF official feels that the case in battalion 138 is an “exception” since there was no similar outbreak in his other camps spread over 856 km of the international border in Tripura.

“There is no indication of virus transmission leaks outside the battalion’s headquarters. We are tracking all close contacts of affected people and testing them. BSF internally maintains social distancing and quarantine in its places. We are also carrying out many random tests, ”the official reported.

Meanwhile, the government declared the Dhalai district a “red zone” and marked three locations: the battalion headquarters, a base camp in Gandacherra, and a border post with Bangladesh in Kareena as “containment zones”. The area is sealed and contained and intensive surveillance is underway.

Dhalai District Magistrate Brahmeet Kaur said the local administration has marked the BSF 138 battalion headquarters in Jawharnagar and a 3km radius around it as a containment area. Two other locations: Gandacherra base camp Kareena BOP were also declared containment zones, although all test reports from those areas have been found to be negative, indicating that community transmission is not yet taking place.

“Frontline workers, including ASHA and Anganwadi workers, along with line department staff, were pressured into action for a door-to-door inspection to find out if anyone had flu-like symptoms or had history of contact with positive cases. Samples are being collected from all those individuals, ”he said.

The local sanitary apparatus focuses on the containment zone and the buffer zone of 7 km outside it. All households in the containment areas were quarantined. A 3 km perimeter was closed around the containment areas to prevent unauthorized exit or entry and to prevent the spread of infection in unaffected areas.

Tripura Police Inspector General Subrata Chakraborty said the police have imposed naaka and patrolling throughout the Dhalai district. Meanwhile, the curfew from dusk to dawn is in effect in all eight Tripura districts, including Dhalai. “The entire district is full of tension and anxiety, but steps are being taken to convince people to stay home and not be afraid,” the official said.

Tripura Prime Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said there are no positive cases among civilians and appealed to people not to panic. He also wrote on his official Facebook page that the state government is doing the maximum number of COVID tests to ensure greater safety for all.

“We are carrying out the maximum number of tests # COVID19 to ensure greater safety for all. Our government is closely monitoring current situations. Specialized doctors take care of positive patients. I urge everyone not to panic and cooperate with the government. Don’t believe the rumors, the government will take strict measures if anyone finds out they are spreading the wrong information, “Deb said.

According to the latest reports, 1,214 people are under surveillance for coronavirus in Tripura. These include 81 housed in different quarantine centers and 1,033 in home quarantine.

Tripura announces coronavirus test for journalists

In a tweet posted tonight, Deb wrote: “Along with other frontline warriors, media personnel are also moving from one place to another to receive news. In view of your safety, we have decided to analyze the samples of all the media personnel working in the field. # TripuraCares4all “.

He also said the state government would soon announce a plan to ensure the safety of the families of journalists working in the midst of the outbreak.

Meanwhile, vehicles carrying nearly 200 Tripura students who were stranded in Rajasthan’s Kota arrived in Churaibari in the northern district, where they were quarantined as standard operating procedure. They would be tested there to detect COVID-19 and, if unaffected, would be released.

The state government previously announced that it would facilitate the return of stranded people with the authorities of the respective states, but passengers would have to pay the travel expenses.

A student who landed in one of these vehicles said: “Today we come from Kota. We started our journey on May 2 and arrived in Churaibari today. We are grateful to my institute in Kota, where I study, for organizing a bus for us. Our trip was good, except for some problems related to food and sanitation. They collected swab samples and put us in a quarantine center. ”

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