[Amar Sangno]
ITANAGAR, Jun 25: The state quarantine facility (QF) at the police training centre (PTC) in Banderdewa is reportedly carrying the burden of the central paramilitary forces (CPMF) in quarantining personnel who are coming from different parts of India.
So far 22 GREF personnel are under quarantine at the PTC QF. Two of them have been detected as being Covid-19 positive. Both are asymptomatic.
The PTC QF, which has the capacity to house 559 inmates, is considerably overwhelmed.
The state government has decided to shut down the PTC QF after 30 June. However, paid quarantine facilities will continue to be available, as per the government’s order.
Sources informed The Arunachal Times that sending the GREF personnel to the PTC QF was in breach of the standard operating procedure (SOP). There is no clarity on whether the GREF acquired prior approval of the home commissioner before sending their personnel to the PTC QF.
This daily could not verify the fact of the matter with the home commissioner.
However, when contacted, Health Secretary P Parthiban said, “We have asked them (CPMF) to develop their own CCC. They said they will do it as soon as possible. Till such time we will support them.”
It is said that the GREF personnel are returnees from Kerala, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttarakhand, etc.
Sources claimed that the two personnel who tested positive had submitted their swab samples on Monday in Tezpur (Assam). However, they travelled to Itanagar and landed at the PTC QF on the same day.
On Wednesday, their samples tested positive, as per the report sent by the Tezpur Medical College & Hospital.
After receiving the report from Tezpur, the GREF personnel were immediately shifted to the Covid care centre (CCC) in Lekhi.
Reportedly, swab samples from seven GREF personnel among the 22 returnees have been taken and the results are awaited. The personnel are housed in the PTC QF’s VKV block. If the results are positive, the entire block would have to be contained.
On Thursday, 12 more GREF personnel reportedly arrived in Banderdewa and sought admission in the PTC QF, creating confusion among the health officials as to whether they should be allowed in.
Later, the QF’s incident commander sent the personnel to the GREF’s own quarantine centre in Damsite, Naharlagun, after consultation with the GREF’s commanding officer.
Sources informed The Arunachal Times that the Tezpur Medical College has shared a confidential report of 20 GREF personnel testing positive in the RT-PCR test there.
Out of the 20 personnel who submitted their samples in Tezpur, two travelled to Itanagar and are now at the CCC in Lekhi. The remaining 18 personnel have reportedly been traced in Assam.
The CPMF have 26 positive cases in the capital complex: the GREF has three positive cases, and the NDRF has so far detected 23 Covid-19 positive cases among its personnel.
The CPMF have their own SOP, as issued by the home affairs ministry. However, as per the revised SOP issued by the state’s health department, CPMF personnel who are returning from different parts of India will be allowed admission in the state’s institutional quarantine facilities with prior approval from the home commissioner.
