With 24 fresh cases in another battalion, the number of Covid-19 positive cases among Border Security Force (BSF) troopers and their family members in Tripura climbed to 86 in six days, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said on Thursday.
Deb, in a tweet, said that the fresh 24 positive cases were found in the BSF's 86th Battalion in Ambassa, the district headquarters of Dhalai, 82 km north of Agartala.
Tripura health officials said that the 86 cases also include two women and five children - all family members of BSF jawans - and a mess worker.
Till Wednesday, the positive cases were found among troopers of to 138th Battalion, whose headquarters are also located in the same place (Ambassa) as of the 86th.
According to health officials, though the two BSF battalion headquarters were located in the same place and close to the civilian localities and on the vital Assam-Agartala national highway, no civilian had yet tested positive.
Most of the infected persons are now undergoing treatment at the Govind Ballabh Pant Medical College and Hospital, a dedicated Covid-19 hospital, here.
Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, Sanjay Kumar Rakesh told the media that swab samples of over 680 BSF jawans, officers belonging to 138th and 86th Battalions, their family members either already tested or to be tested in the next two to three days.
Though the total cases in the state have reached 88, the earlier two patients - a woman and a Tripura State Rifles jawan, have recovered from the disease last month.
( With inputs from IANS )