A day after the Indian Army confirmed at least eight cases of coronavirus, a total of 21 serving personnel of the Indian Navy have tested positive for the virus within the naval premises at Mumbai.
According to an Indian Navy spokesperson in New Delhi, this number includes 20 sailors of INS Angre, a shore establishment at Mumbai.
"There are no cases of infection onboard ships and submarines,” Commander Vivek Madhwal, the Indian Navy spokesperson clarified.
Navy officials added that most of these patients are asymptomatic and the source of their infection has been traced to a single sailor who tested positive for coronavirus on April 7. They all reside in the same accommodation block at INS Angre.
All primary contacts (though asymptomatic) were tested for COVID-19. The entire living block was immediately put under quarantine and INS Angre too is under lockdown.
Indian Navy sources said all of the affected sailors worked at the logistics department at INS Angre, which is the base depot or offshore administrative hub of the Indian Navy's Western Command headquarters in Mumbai.
All 21 sailors have been admitted to the INHS Asvini, the naval hospital at Mumbai and all actions as per established COVID-19 protocol are being taken, Indian Navy officials maintained.
Last week, a former sailor of the Indian Navy with no travel history tested positive for COVID-19 , prompting authorities to carry out extensive monitoring of the residential complex in Navy Nagar.
The Indian Navy continues to actively support the national effort in the fight against COVID-19.