Itanagar: Eighty-four newly-recruited constables undergoing training at the Police Training Centre in Banderdwa in Arunachal Pradesh have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past three days, officials said on Friday.
The recruits who have tested positive are all male and belong to the D, E and F companies of the state police, superintendent of police (SIT) Hemant Tiwari said.
They were living in separate barracks, he said.
The recruits arrived at the training centre between September 10 and 13 from their respective districts, after which they underwent isolation until September 20, the officer said.
They had undergone rapid antigen tests in their respective districts and after being found negative they were sent to the training centre on police vehicles,” he said.
The recruits were not allowed to come in contact with any other people during that process, he added.
The training began on September 21 and around 14 cadets of the F Company reported cough and cold on that evening, Tiwari said.
They underwent COVID tests on September 22 in which eight of them were found to be positive. The 76 others tested positive during contact tracing, Tiwari said
All of those who tested positive have been shifted to the COVID Care Centre at Leki village and the training has been suspended, he said.