CRPF headquarters closed till May 5 morning as driver tests positive for coronavirus

The headquarters of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was on Sunday sealed for sanitisation and its 40 officers and staff, including a Special Director General and a Deputy Inspector General on home quarantine, sent to home quarantine after a driver and personal secretary of an official posted there tested positive for COVID-19.

While the CRPF has reported at least 144 cases of COVID-19 among its personnel, including the death of an Assistant Sub Inspector posted in the capital, another paramilitary force Border Security Force (BSF) has 42 personnel, including 40 in Delhi, testing positive for the virus.

Officials said the driver and the personal assistant of a senior official tested positive for COVID-19, which prompted the authorities to seal the CRPF headquarters and sending its officers and staff to home.

The headquarters located in CGO complex in South Delhi's Lodhi Colony will remain closed till Tuesday morning with orders being issued to all those working there not to come to office and work from home.

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The officers and staff have been asked to be available on phone to respond to necessary emergencies. Those responsible for collection, collation and dissemination of urgent communication should continue to do so by safe and secure means, an order said.

Over 150 personnel from the CRPF located in Delhi have tested positive for COVID-19 with the bulk coming from 31st battalion where 135 have contracted the infection. Tests were conducted on 480 personnel of the 31st battalion out of which 323 have tested negative. Results of 22 personnel are awaited.

In a separate incident, a CRPF company, which is part of 246th battalion, comprising 80 personnel has been quarantined in Delhi after one of them was tested positive for COVID-19.

The company was located in Narela area. A constable had tested positive following which around 80 personnel in the company was quarantined.

Earlier, CRPF Director General A P Maheshwari was sent in home quarantine after he came in indirect contact with positive patients. He later tested negative for Covid-19.

Also Read: Coronavirus India update: State-wise total number of confirmed cases

Besides CRPF, the BSF is also hit by COVID-19 cases with an official saying at least 42 personnel have been tested positive for COVID-19 in the force across the country.

On Sunday, 25 more personnel attached with 126th Battalion tested positive for the virus. With this, 31 out of 94 personnel in the battalion has contracted the virus.

Officials said eight people, including five BSF personnel, have been found COVID-19 positive from the BSF hospital in RK Puram.

"Few critically ill patients are admitted here, who visit different super speciality hospitals. One such kidney patient, who visits an outside super speciality hospital for dialysis, has been found positive on April 29. He has been admitted to LNJP Hospital. Two other BSF personnel suffering from cancer, who visited a cancer speciality hospital, from the BSF hospital ward, were found positive on April 30. Both cancer patients are admitted now to Jai Prakash Narayan Trauma Centre," a senior official said.

Following testing of these patients' attendants, other patients and nursing staff, five more cases were reported from this facility.

Two BSF personnel posted in Tripura had tested positive for COVID-19.