Decontamination vehicles at Western Command stations

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 28

Western Command has provisioned decontamination vehicles in most of the military stations and cantonments, and buses have been specially modified with medical facilities to ferry persons suspected to have been infected with coronavirus.

Western Command has been preparing on a war footing to combat the Covid-19 threat and has initiated a series of preventive and precautionary measures within its existing resources.

Special protective equipment is being utilised by the medical staff and decontamination squads. All stations in Western Command have instituted social distancing and sanitisation measures on their premises, like offices, ration stores and other essential services.

Cantonment boards at Ambala, Amritsar, Ferozepur, Jutogh, Dalhousie, Subathu, Bakloh, Kasauli and Khasyol have issued directions to close down, shops except those selling essential items, parks and have sprayed disinfectants in public areas. Isolation centres have also come up in all cantonments with varying capacity depending upon the size of the cantonment.. Unlike military stations, cantonments also have civilian residents and commercial establishments within their precincts.

Instructions have also been issued under the Cantonment Board Act to sensitise religious institutions to avoid gathering of people. Preparation of hospital facilities as possible quarantine locations is also being done. Daily need items and grocery items are being supplied from door to door so that people do not come out of their houses. The cantonment boards are coordinating with local civil administration to ensure lockdown and reporting of violations.

Awareness campaigns are also being carried out by distributing pamphlets with guidelines on dos and don’ts, and making recorded announcements in cantonment area. At some places, masks and sanitisers have also been distributed among the poor and needy people.