The first positive coronavirus case of the army was a 34-year-old soldier in Leh. The Colonel and the Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) tested positive for the virus on Sunday, officials on the condition of anonymity said. The other two defence forces-- air force and navy-- don’t have any positive cases. The two new cases had a history of travel. They both had come to Delhi. The necessary contact tracing is being done to get to the source of the contagion. The two persons have been quarantined

NEW DELHI: A doctor at the rank of Colonel in Kolkata and a Junior Commissioned Officer in Dehradun of the Indian Army have tested positive for the coronavirus. The two new cases detected on Sunday put the total number of cases in the army at three.

The first positive coronavirus case of the army was a 34-year-old soldier in Leh. The Colonel and the Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) tested positive for the virus on Sunday, officials on the condition of anonymity said. The other two defence forces-- air force and navy-- don’t have any positive cases.

The two new cases had a history of travel. They both had come to Delhi. The necessary contact tracing is being done to get to the source of the contagion. The two persons have been quarantined. “The affected persons are keeping in good health and are stable. They are a Colonel (Dr) in Kolkata and a JCO in Dehradun,” an official said.

There is no clarity as yet on who did the two individuals come in contact with. However, it was clear in the first case. The Leh-based soldier’s father had travelled on a pilgrimage in Iran last month and had tested positive for the coronavirus a few days after his return. The soldier, a resident of Chuchot village in Leh, had re-joined his work place from leave, but was helping his family during the quarantine period and was staying at the village. The soldier was also quarantined on March 7 and tested positive for the virus on March 16. He was isolated at the Sonam Norboo Memorial Hospital in Leh. His wife, two children and sister were quarantined at the SNM heart foundation. The Ladakh Scouts Regimental Centre was placed under a lockdown and the soldiers who came in contact with that soldier were quarantined.