Four trainee soldier craftsmen test positive for coronavirus

(Eds: Updating number of inected persons)

Ahmedabad, Apr 24 () Four soldier craftsmenundergoing training at the Military Station in Vadodara havetested positive for coronavirus, officials said on Friday.

This is the first instance in Gujarat where members ofthe armed forces have been found to be infected withcoronavirus, which has claimed over 100 lives in the state sofar.

These trainee soldiers were admitted to government-runSSG Hospital in Vadodara, over 100 km from here, after theirmedical reports came positive for COVID-19 two days back, saida statement issued by defence PRO for Gujarat, Puneet Chadha.

"Four soldier craftsmen undergoing training at theMilitary Station in Baroda (Vadodara) tested COVID-19 positiveon April 22.

"All protocols were followed and necessary actionstaken by the Army authorities. All four jawans have beenadmitted to SSG Hospital," the statement said, adding that themilitary station premises was sanitised by the VadodaraMunicipal Corporation after the first three cases emerged.

The report of one trainee soldier came later, it said.

As many as 40 persons, who came into contact withthese jawans, were home quarantined as a precautionarymeasure.

According to VMC officials, these trainee soldiers arefrom other states and came to Vadodara for training wellbefore the lockdown was imposed last month.

Vadodara Municipal Commissioner N B Upadhyay refutedthe theory that they might have contracted the virus at anearby ATM centre.

"We find no substance in that theory. If ATM was theculprit, then we may have received many more cases, which isnot the case at present," said Upadhyay. PJT PDKRK KRK