As many as 21 serving personnel of the Indian Navy have been tested positive for the deadly novel coronavirus (COVID-19) within naval premises at Mumbai.

The sailors have been quarantined in naval hospital INHS Asvini in Mumbai’s Colaba. Among these are 20 sailors aboard INS Angre, a shore establishment at Mumbai. This is the first reported case of COVID-19 in the Indian Navy.

The number of infected Navy personnel aboard INS Angre could go up as many test results are awaited. The INS Angre works as a base depot for ships and units based in Mumbai.

Most of the cases are asymptomatic and have been traced to a single sailor who was tested COVID-19 on April 7th, 2020. The Navy men who have tested positive reside in the same accommodation block at INS Angre.

The INS Angre is under lockdown and the entire in-living block was has been declared as containment zone. There are no cases of infection onboard ships and submarines.

Photo credit: Twitter