Lest We Forget Our Frontline Workers... 35% CISF Jawans Deployed At Airport Test COVID Positive

The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) have registered a sharp spike in COVID-19 infections over the last four days with active cases reaching around 3,000, official data showed on Monday. However, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) are the worst-hit among paramilitary forces, lest we forget our frontline workers who have been bracing the covid pandemic since March of 2020.

Total 1,307 active Covid cases in 4 days

CISF has accounted for 35% -- a total of 1,307 of all active Covid-19 cases in the paramilitary in the last four days active COVID cases in all formations. The force makes up 15% (around 10 lakh) of the total strength of CAPF. The five forces that form the CAPF are Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), CISF, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).

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Top officials in the CISF told News18.com that most of the jawans who have tested positive for Covid-19 are deployed at airports, including in Delhi and Mumbai that have seen big surges in coronavirus infections since the beginning of the new year.

CISF jawans first to get infected

¡°We have been reporting a high number of Covid-19 cases in the force. It is because of our deployment at the airports. Though we take all precautions, wear masks and face shields, and make minimum contact with passengers, the numbers are still consistently high," a senior CISF official told News18.com while sharing the data.

According to sources, the CISF headquarters, which is the office of the D-G in New Delhi, is also taking extra precautions. According to Dr Mukesh Saxena, former ADG Medical, Home Ministry, CISF jawans are the first to get infected as they are exposed to people from abroad at airports who might be carrying the virus. The force has reiterated sanitisation at the regular intervals and is working at 50% staff.

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Cases recorded in other forces too

Followed by CISF, 677 cases have been recorded in the CRPF, the lead anti-Naxal operations force. As per the latest data, the total number of active cases among all paramilitary forces stood at 3,644. Data also showed that the CISF had 379 active cases till January 6 and 485 till January 7.

The Border Security Force, which guards the Pakistan and Bangladesh frontiers, has 515 active cases followed by 379 in the Nepal and Bhutan borders guarding force Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) that guards the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China has 148 active cases while the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has 90 cases and the federal counter-terrorism commando force National Security Guard (NSG) has 27, the data showed.

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All these forces have re-activated their COVID-19 control rooms and health facilities due to the latest rise in infections being witnessed in the country including that of the new variant of the virus called 'Omicron'.

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