New Delhi, April 5: The country’s largest paramilitary force, the Central Reserve Police Force, has advised 200 of its personnel to go on home quarantine, a source in the force said.
Among those asked to go on self-quarantine is CRPF’s Director-General AP Maheshwari, the source said.
The decision, believed to be precautionary, was taken after the force drew up a detailed list of about 200 personnel, including the DG, after the CRPF’s Chief Medical Officer tested positive for the virus. He was isolated, and eight other officers were quarantined, the source said.
Liaison Officer and Assistant Commandant of CRPF, P Raja, who had been quarantined after Chief Medical Officer Dr Deepak was tested Covid-19 positive, also underwent a test and awaited results.
The 200 CRPF personnel sent on home quarantine were traced to be in contact with Raja and further course of measures will be taken after test reports of Raja, officials in the force said.
A senior official in the force said that everyone on the list, including the CRPF DG and Senior Security Advisor of MHA K Vijay Kumar, have been advised home quarantine or quarantine at CRPF facilities until their test reports came back. The official said they have not shown any symptoms of being infected.
At least three Inspectors General, whose wards returned from foreign countries, have also been quarantined as a precautionary measure, as has former CRPF DG Vikram Srivastava, sources said.
The CRPF chief, who is subjected to home quarantine, is overseeing the force’s work from home. Maheshwari has so far shown no symptoms, officials said.
A CRPF spokesperson said: “A CRPF officer has tested positive for COVID-19. All personnel in contact with the officer have been quarantined. The DG CRPF had an indirect contact with the officer. As per protocol, DG is observing quarantine”.
“We will win together. The only Mantra is social distancing. To all of us let this be the religion as well as spirituality of the day. Save oneself to save others. Save humanity,” Maheshwari has tweeted tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi, PMO, HMOIndia and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
