COVID-19: 53 fresh cases in BSF; total tally crosses 1,000-mark

Fifty-three more Border Security Force (BSF) personnel have tested positive for COVID-19, taking the overall infections in the largest border guarding force to over 1,000, officials said on Tuesday.

As per latest data, out of the total 1,018 coronavirus cases in the force, 659 personnel have recovered and 354 are under treatment.

There have been five deaths from the disease in the force, including the death of a personnel who was killed in a road accident whose COVID-19 positive report came later.

In the last 24 hours, 53 fresh cases have been reported in the force apart from four recoveries, the official said.

Of the 53, twenty-nine were reported from Odisha.

The about 2.5 lakh personnel strong force is primarily tasked to guard Indian fronts with Pakistan and Bangladesh apart from rendering a variety of duties in the internal security domain of the country.

It is the largest border guarding force of the country with the two others being the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) with a strength of about 90,000 personnel and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) that has a strength of about 80,000 men and women.

The ITBP too reported 14 fresh cases and one recovery on Tuesday.

It has reported a total of 331 cases out of which 237 have recovered from COVID-19 while 94 are under treatment.

There have been two deaths in the ITBP that is mandated to guard the 3,488 kms long Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.