ITANAGAR, Jul 28: The health department on Tuesday attached an addendum to the Covid-19 standard operating procedure (SOP) for the personnel of the Indian Army and the paramilitary forces (ITBP, CRPF, BRO/GREF and NDRF).
As per the revised SOP, the forces will have their own quarantine facilities where they will keep their personnel entering Arunachal under mandatory quarantine of five days. Rapid antigen tests (RAT) will be conducted on them after five days by the forces’ own medical teams.
The district administration concerned will support the military/paramilitary forces with RAT kits, and by providing training in using the kits for testing.
The forces should constitute their own health/technical teams for conducting RATs. The district administration concerned will assist the forces wherever the forces are not able to have their own team.
In case a person is found to be Covid-19 positive through RAT, they will be shifted to an earmarked CCC, DCHC or DCH, based on their symptoms.
Persons who test Covid-19 negative in RAT and are asymptomatic can resume their duties, “following the new normal,” after the completion of five days of quarantine, the health department said.
Persons who test Covid-19 negative in RAT but are symptomatic will have to undergo RT-PCR/TrueNat test for confirmation, which will be facilitated by the district administration concerned.
Each armed/paramilitary force, except the NDRF, has to establish their own quarantine facility and Covid care centre (CCC) for asymptomatic Covid-19 positive cases.
“For the NDRF, CCCs will be provided by the state government, irrespective of Covid-19 positive asymptomatic/symptomatic cases,” the health department said.
