NEW DELHI: As many as 57 or 13% of the 428 officer trainees taking the Foundation Course for Civil Services at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration,
Mussoorie have tested Covid positive.
The foundation course, which started on October 12 this year and is scheduled to end on December 18, marks the beginning of a bureaucrat’s
induction training after selection to the civil services including IAS and IPS.
The department of personnel and training (DoPT) on Saturday said the Academy is taking every measure to break the chain of Covid-19 spread in consonance with the guidelines of
the ministry of home affairs and the
Dehradun district administration.
“All officer trainees who have tested positive, have been quarantined in a dedicated Covid Care Centre. Since 20.11.2020, the Academy has conducted more than162 RT-PCR tests in coordination with District Authorities,” said a DoPT release.
The Academy has meanwhile decided to conduct all activities for the Civil Services entrants, including training, online till the midnight of December 3, 2020. The protocols relating to social distancing, frequent hand wash and wearing of mask are being strictly followed by the officer trainees and staff members.
Food and other necessities are being delivered to the officer trainees in their hostels by staff who are equipped adequately in protective gear, DoPT said.
The 95th Foundation Course had started this year under the shadow of Covid-19 pandemic and special protocols and precautions were put in place to minimise the risk of infection. All 428 trainee officers were asked to report to the academy with a ‘negative’ RT-PCR report and put up in double-occupancy rooms equipped with individual kits holding N95 mask,
thermometer, sanitiser and a set of Covid-19 safety instructions. Classes in the first week were held online. The officer trainees were asked to self-monitor on a daily basis and report any symptom associated with Covid-19, to doctors at the on-campus medical centre.