COVID-19: Rajnath salutes armed forces, supports Janta curfew

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh appreciated the role of Indian armed forces in dealing with COVID-19 and urged citizens to make the self-isolation and mass awareness initiative, 'Janta curfew', a grand success.

New Delhi:Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in a series of tweets said that India’s Armed Forces have been at the forefront of the Government’s efforts in dealing with COVID-19 pandemic and appealed the citizens to make 'Janta curfew' a grand success.

"I salute everyone who have been involved in fighting this pandemic," Rajnath said in a tweet.

He further said that India’s Armed Forces have been at the forefront of the Government’s efforts in evacuating people from the affected countries and in creating and maintaining quarantine facilities at several places.

"Let us be united in our fight against the deadly Coronavirus. Each one of us can make a huge difference by being a responsible citizen of this country. There is no need to panic as all possible steps are being been taken to combat the menace," the defence minister said.

From February 1, 2020 till date, the Indian Air Force has evacuated 1,059 people, including five foreigners, and quarantined them at the facilities in Manesar (Haryana), Hindan (Uttar Pradesh), Ghatkopar (Maharashtra) and Jaisalmer (Rajasthan).

The Indian Navy has set up a quarantine camp at INS Vishwakarma in Vishakhapatnam, which is fully equipped to accommodate nearly 200 personnel, the government statement said.

Isolation facilities have also been set up at INHS Asvini - one of the first Navy hospitals in India - at Mumbai.

"The Naval base, Kochi under Southern Naval Command (SNC), is gearing up to provide quarantine facilities for Indian nationals," the statement said.

The SNC is also actively coordinating with Kerala state health officials and Ernakulam district administration to explore the feasibility of provisioning civil hotels and resorts for quarantining, according to the statement. Besides, all Army hospitals have been kept on alert to meet any eventuality.

In addition to the operational quarantine centres, more facilities have been readied and may be made operational within 48-72 hours, if needed, the statement said.

Read:COVID-19: PM Modi calls for 'Janta Curfew' on March 22

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made a fervent appeal to all Indians to stay indoors as much as possible to avoid getting infected by coronavirus, saying the world has never seen a danger as grave as this. He called for 'Janta curfew' on March 22 from 7 am-9 pm, saying no citizen, barring those in essential services, should get out of house.