38 jawans of CRPF unit CoBRA test Covid-19 positive in Sukma

As many as 38 personnel of the CRPF's jungle warfare unit CoBRA tested positive for coronavirus in Chhattisgarh's Naxal-hit Sukma district on Monday following which they were quarantined in their camp, officials said.

The personnel belong to the 202nd battalion of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), an elite wing of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), they said. As many as 75 personnel posted in the Temelwada camp of the district were subjected to rapid antigen test. Of them, 38 tested positive for the infection following which they were quarantined in their camp," Sukma Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) CV Bansod said. Swab samples of remaining jawans were sent for RT-PCR tests to Jagdalpur, the headquarters of Bastar district, he said, adding contact tracing has been undertaken for coronavirus positive CoBRA personnel. Sukma Superintendent of Police Sunil Sharma said these troops from the CoBRA' 202nd battalion, who hail from different parts of the country, had reached Sukma on Sunday to report to duty at their unit's camp in Temelwada. As per COVID-19-related protocols, they were subjected to tests for the infection, he added. The infected jawans were placed under isolation within the camp, Sharma added.