The Indian Army has issued an advisory to its personnel both on and off duty amid a global spike in Covid cases across the country.
The advisory said the Army was keeping a close watch on the evolving epidemiological situation in the country and Indian Army as the cases were on an alarming rise in the USA, Japan, China, and others.
According to the recommendation, the Indian Army personnel should practise social distancing and utilise face masks as preventative measures, especially in enclosed and congested areas. It also speaks about maintaining good hand hygiene, which includes washing hands and using hand sanitiser, as per the Indian Army.
All symptomatic people should be tested for Covid-19 and those who test positive should be quarantined for seven days, according to the advisory. Those with moderate to severe illness will be hospitalised, said the Indian Army.
The Indian Army, which has experienced an officer shortfall that has never fallen below 7,000 for almost three decades, was earlier this year faced with a lack of jawans due to a halt in recruitment rallies, as the nation faced escalating security challenges from its nearby nuclear rivals Pakistan and China.
50,000 jawans retire from the 1.4 million-strong army each year, and all recruitment to replace them has been suspended since early 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
As per the government, around 70,000 personnel of the Indian armed services had contracted the novel coronavirus and 200 of them had passed away as a result of the illness.
The pandemic, which first surfaced in China in late 2019, afflicted 45,576 members of the Indian army, 14,022 members of the Indian Air Force, and 7,747 members of the Indian Navy.
With 137 losses, the Indian Army suffered the most fatalities. 49 members of the Indian Air Force were reported dead, while four members of the Indian Navy were.
