Quarantine must for defence personnel sent to Assam on duty

GUWAHATI: All personnel of the armed forces and central paramilitary travelling to Assam on deployment will have to complete the mandatory quarantine period before joining duty. Again, those coming on leave to their residences in the state will have to follow the quarantine and testing protocols stipulated for the general public.
According to the state government's new SOP, asymptomatic commissioned officers of Army and Air Force will have to undergo a combined institutional quarantine (inside the cantonment or camp premises) and home quarantine of at least 14 days. "The period of institutional quarantine will be seven days or till his or her RT-PCR COVID-19 test result is declared, whichever is earlier. Once the officer is released from institutional quarantine, he or she shall undergo home quarantine for the remaining period of quarantine after hand-stamping," the SOP states.
The asymptomatic non-commissioned officers or jawans will, however, have to undergo the entire 14 days of quarantine in institutional facilities (inside the cantonment or camp boundary) even if his or her test result is negative in the meantime.
Similarly, for the CAPF personnel too, each individual shall first travel to their group centre within Assam prior to deployment for field duties and any asymptomatic personnel will have to undergo institutional quarantine (inside the group centre premises) for 14 days, even if his test result is negative in the meantime.

The SOP adds, “In case of any Covid positive case, the personnel shall be immediately referred to the designated Army, Air Force or CAPF Covid hospital or to a hospital under the Government of Assam as required.” The SOP required the Army, Air Force and CAPF authorities to set up adequate institutional quarantine facilities for the personnel travelling to Assam within the cantonment or group centre boundary.
“Screening of all personnel will be done at disembarking railway station or airport by the district authorities in coordination with the Army, Air Force and CAPF authorities after which they will directly proceed to their respective cantonment or group centre. Their swab samples for RT-PCRCOVID-19 tests will have to be collected within 12 hours of arrival at the cantonment by the district administration,” the SOP says.
The armed agencies are to nominate a senior officer as nodal officer to liaise with the state government, district magistrates and other representatives of the state government for communicating movement of returning personnel in advance. In case accommodation in group centres is limited, then CAPF authorities shall suitably stagger the movement of CAPF personnel into Assam.
Relatives of Army, Air Force and CAPF personnel stationed in Assam who are asymptomatic will also have to undergo combined institutional quarantine (inside the cantonment/ group centre premises) and home quarantine of at least 14 days. The period of institutional quarantine will be seven days or till his or her Covid-19 RT-PCT test results are declared, whichever is earlier. Once the person is released from institutional quarantine, he or she shall undergo home quarantine for the remaining period of quarantine, after hand stamping.