UT News Service | August 5: Armed Forces and Paramilitary forces deployed in Northeast states is increasingly becoming a cause for concern as major carrier of COVID-19. Security forces movements within these states and within districts have contracted the virus from members stationed at the camp, which houses battalions or platoons for duties. A vast majority of such cases have been reported in Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura.
In Nagaland, as per the report given out by the Department of Health & Family Welfare Government of Nagaland, a total of 455 positive cases in the armed forces have been recorded in the last 4 days ie 69 cases on 2nd Aug, 113 cases on 3rd Aug, 214 cases on 4th Aug and 59 cases today.
In Meghalaya, out of the total active cases of 582 as on 4th August, Border Security Forces and Armed Forces constitute 260 cases.
In Manipur, out of the total active cases of 1197 as on 5th August 2020, Army/Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) accounts for nearly 41% at 502 positive cases. Of the new cases recorded on 5 August evening, 42 are general population and 33 from CAPF personnel. On July 31, 2020 Ukhrul District recorded 46 new COVID-19 Positive cases out of which 45 are Assam Rifles personnel. The District Megistrate of Ukhrul immediately sealed the campus of 27 Assam Rifles, in view of the impending thread of spreading the virus.
As per NDTV news report, Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga, on Sunday, wrote to Prime Minister Modi requesting to withhold any movement of the armed forces into his state. According to a statistic shared by Zoramthanga in the letter, as of last Sunday, August 2, out of 482 cases, 242 (50.20 %) were among those in the Army or the central paramilitary forces. There are 224 active cases in the state of which, 173 (77.23 per cent) were among the paramilitary forces.
In July 20, Tripura has also reported over hundred Border Security Force personnel being COVID positive