9 infected CISF personnel discharged after passing subsequent tests

Nine of 12 Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel who had tested positive for the Sars-Cov-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, have been discharged after their subsequent tests came back negative.

The personnel were posted at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) and were among the first frontline staff in the country to get infected with the coronavirus.

MA Ganapathy, special director general, CISF, said, “In all, 12 personnel had tested positive in the first test but nine have been discharged having tested negative in subsequent tests. The three others have also tested negative but they will have to undergo further testing.”

The CISF personnel who had tested positive are from the ranks of constable to assistant sub-inspector (ASI), between the ages of 27 and 52 years.

The nine discharged personnel have been advised to observe mandatory home quarantine for 14 days from the date of discharge.

On March 27, a CISF head constable tested positive for Covid-19 after reporting a mild fever. Following this, 152 personnel were quarantined at the CISF residential camp at Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai.

CISF decided to test 11 of the infected head constable’s close contacts, of which four were found positive on March 29. As the infected persons lived in the same camp, it was decided to test all 152 personnel.

CISF officers stated that active contact tracing was done to avoid any further spread of the disease. “The contacts were traced and all were quarantined promptly,” said KN Tripathy, deputy inspector general, CISF, Mumbai airport. “After the first personnel tested positive at the airport with minimum symptoms, we began contact-tracing. Others found positive were asymptomatic.”

Sources said that the CISF personnel may have contracted the virus from passengers while discharging duties at the airport. “There is a regimented lifestyle followed by CISF personnel and hence, their immunity is also stronger,” said Tripathy.