Coronavirus lockdown has reduced work on training, posting, international cooperation: Army

NEW DELHI: The army on Wednesday said that the global lockdown has affected work relating to international cooperation, training events, postings and courses, while critical appointments at the army headquarters in Delhi including around 40 percent of the staff continue to work from their homes.

“At the headquarters level, the army called off the day for office goers. The global lock-down has affected and significantly reduced the office work be it international cooperation, training events, postings, courses, etc. The critical appointments, which include almost 40 percent of the office goers, continue to work from home. Emergency staff, including duty official, medical fraternity, drivers, cooks and other support staff, continued to work hithertofore,” the army said.

ET had earlier reported that the restrictions imposed by the army due to the coronavirus outbreak, such as reducing attendance at the headquarters, will slow down work, except in emergency matters.


Other defence services like the navy are following the same concept of “skeletal manning” at offices. “Some people will work from home, while others will work from the office. The daily routine activities will come down, but work on emergency and important matters will not be reduced,” an official said.

The navy, too, has postponed all important meetings at its commands. It has been regularly issuing advisories to its personnel on maintaining precautions.

Meanwhile, on the first day of the 21-day nationwide lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, an army facility at Jodhpur received 277 evacuees from Iran, including 273 pilgrims. The evacuees, including 149 women and six children, were transferred on flights from Delhi to Jodhpur and screened on arrival at Jodhpur airport before being taken to the medical facility.

“The facility has been designed not just for isolation, but also for mental and physical wellness through a regimented routine including some sports and recreational activities,” the army said.

The army is presently operating medical facilities for evacuees at Manesar, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur. These are evacuees from Iran, Italy and Malaysia. Evacuees from Wuhan, China and Japan have already been discharged after full protocol was observed. “Of the over 1200 evacuees, medical staff and air crew kept in these facilities until now, only one positive case of COVID-19 has been reported so far,” the army said.

More army medical facilities at Jhansi, Binnaguri and Gaya have been kept on standby with a collective capacity of 1600.

Meanwhile, a navy Dornier aircraft with a team of four doctors from Goa State Health department, took off from INS Hansa to Pune on Wednesday. The medical team led by Dr Savio Rodrigues, HOD Microbiology, Goa Medical College, will undergo training to set up a COVID test facility at Goa.