This story is from May 30, 2020

Defence, CAPF personnel entering Assam will be quarantined: State govt SOP

Defence, CAPF personnel entering Assam will be quarantined: State govt SOP
Representative image.
GUWAHATI: Apart from civilians, all personnel of the armed forces and central paramilitary forces travelling to Assam on deployment will have to complete the mandatory quarantine period before joining duties.
Those coming on leave to their residences in Assam will have to follow the quarantine and testing protocols stipulated for the general public.
According to the state government’s new SOP, asymptomatic commissioned officers of Army and Air Force will have to undergo a combined institutional quarantine (inside the cantonment or camp premises} and home quarantine of at least 14 days.
“The period of institutional quarantine will be seven days or till his or her RT-PCR Covid-19 test result is declared, whichever is earlier. Once the officer is released from institutional quarantine, he or she shall undergo home quarantine for the remaining period of quarantine, after hand stamping,” the SOP states.
The asymptomatic non-commissioned officers or jawans will, however, have to undergo the entire 14 days of quarantine institutional facilities (inside the cantonment or camp boundary) even if his or her test result is negative in the meantime.
Similarly for the CAPF personal too, each individual shall first travel to their group centre within Assam, prior to deployment for field duties and any asymptomatic personnel will have to undergo institutional quarantine (inside the Group Centre premises) for 14 days, even if his test result is negative in the meantime.
“In case of any Covid positive case, the personnel shall be immediately referred to designated Army, Air Force or CAPF Covid hospital or to a hospital under Government of Assam, as required,” the SOP adds.

The SOP required Army, Air Force and CAPF authorities to set up adequate institutional quarantine facilities for the personnel travelling into Assam within the cantonment or group centre boundary.
“Screening of all personnel will be done at disembarking railway station or airport by the district authorities, in coordination with the Army, Air Force and CAPF authorities,” after which they will directly proceed to their respective cantonment or group centre and their swab samples for RT-PCRCOVID-19 tests will have to be collected within 12 hours of arrival at the cantonment by district administration,” the SOP says.
The armed agencies to nominate a senior officer as nodal officer to liaise with the state government, district magistrates and other representatives of the state government for communicating movement of returning personnel in advance.
In case, accommodation in group centres is limited, then CAPF authorities shall suitably stagger the movement of CAPF personal into Assam.
Relatives of Army, Air Force and CAPF personnel stationed in Assam who are asymptomatic will also have to undergo combined institutional quarantine (inside the cantonment/ group centre premises) and home quarantine of at least 14 days. The period of institutional quarantine will be seven days or till his or her COVID-19 RT-PCT test results are declared, whichever is earlier. Once the person is released from institutional quarantine, he or she shall undergo home quarantine for the remaining period of quarantine, after hand stamping.
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About the Author
Prabin Kalita

Prabin Kalita is a journalist at The Times of India and is currently the Chief of Bureau (northeast). He has been reporting in mainstream Indian national media since 2001. He has been a field journalist reporting gamut of issues from India’s northeastern region and major developments in neighbouring countries like Myanmar, China, Bhutan and Bangladesh concerning India and northeastern region. He has been covering insurgency—internal and cross-border, politics, natural calamities, environment etc. He is a post-graduate in Geological Sciences from Gauhati University.

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