Combating Covid: Western Command HQ to assist states

Vijay Mohan
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, April 19

With the country witnessing a surge in the cases of Covid-19 infection, the Headquarters of Western Command will render all possible assistance to the state governments within its area of responsibility in their efforts to combat the pandemic.

This includes assistance in providing medicare to civilians, maintenance of law and order, setting up of quarantine facilities, distribution of essential items as and when called upon to do so.

According to sources, senior officers at the Command Headquarters had discussions with the civil authorities of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Delhi and Jammu this evening on modalities for providing the Army assistance.

The Army will keep on standby fully equipped medical teams and, if the need arises, open its medical facilities to treat civilian patients. It will also assist the local authorities in providing medical aid, ferrying essential items in remote or far-flung areas and evacuating persons requiring immediate medical attention.

The Army is also providing its railway rolling stock to the Indian Railways for transport of oxygen tankers and oxygen cylinders to various parts of the country in the wake of the spike in demand of medical oxygen. The Railways is running special trains for the purpose.

To combat the pandemic, the Army also issued fresh instructions this week, which included reducing office attendance to 50 per cent, conducting meetings through videoconferencing and staggering office timings. Only emergency medical treatment would be permitted in military hospitals and all training activities would be conducted while adhering to Covid-19 protocols.

About 40,000 personnel in all three services have been infected with the virus.