NEW DELHI: The total number of COVID-19 cases in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) increased to 758 on Monday, with 16 personnel testing positive, which is the lowest reported in a day since the novel coronavirus outbreak, officials said.
These paramilitary forces-Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) -- also saw six recoveries.
This is the least number of fresh cases recorded when compared to the increase, reported in dozens, since the novel coronavirus infection broke out in the forces, a senior official said.
The 16 fresh cases took the tally of active COVID-19 cases in these forces to 758, as per data accessed by PTI.
The maximum fresh cases at six were reported from the BSF and one of its troopers who was admitted to the AIIIMS in Haryana's Jhajjar for COVID-19 treatment has recovered.
The total active cases in the 2.5-lakh personnel strong force, which primarily guards Indian fronts with Pakistan and Bangladesh, is 279 now.
The CRPF and the CISF each have reported three fresh cases over the last 24 hours.
The CRPF, which is the country's largest paramilitary force with about 3.25 lakh personnel, also saw three recoveries.
The total active cases in the force now stands at 236.
The active cases in the CISF, where all the three fresh cases came from its unit guarding the Ahmedabad airport in Gujarat, are 66.
It also had a jawan recovering from the disease.
The SSB, an about 8,000 personnel strong force guarding the Nepal and Bhutan borders, saw three fresh cases since Sunday taking the tally of active cases to 21.
The ITBP, which has a strength of about 90,000 personnel, saw one fresh case and its active cases are 156 now.
The National Security Guard (NSG), the federal counter-terrorism force under the command of the Union Home Ministry, had on Sunday reported a positive case of a jawan who is a non-combatant and employed in its medical set up for its 'black cats'.
"A total of 166 CAPF personnel and some of their family members are admitted to the special Referral hospital in Greater Noida and all are stable," ITBP spokesperson Vivek Kumar Pandey said.
The hospital is run by the ITBP.