New Delhi, March 27: In a  battle against the novel Coronavirus, the Indian Army is also playing a major role. It has code-named its anti COVID-19 operations as "Operation Namaste". Army has so far established eight quarantine facilities across the country. Speaking to news agency ANI, Army Chief General MM Naravane said that it is the responsibility of forces to help government and civil administration in the fight against COVID-19. IAF Designates Command Hospital Air Force Bangalore as 1st Laboratory in The Force to Undertake COVID-19 Testing.

Apart from establishing quarantine facilities, Indian Air Force is also providing medical supplies to doctors in Leh. The forces are also helping to fly COVID-19 samples to Delhi and Chandigarh. Indian Navy has also up a quarantine camp at INS Vishwakarma in the Eastern Naval Command (ENC).

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"In this fight against Coronavirus, it is our responsibility to help Govt and civil administration. As an Army Chief, it is my duty to keep my force fit. Due to operational reasons, the Army has to live in close proximity," said Naravane.

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"To protect the country it is important for us to keep ourselves safe & fit. Keeping this in mind, we had issued 2/3 advisories in last few weeks which should be followed," he added.

The COVID-19 cases in the country have soared over 720 on Friday. Out of the total 724 cases, 640 are active while 66 patients have recovered from the deadly virus. The death toll due to COVID-19 stands at 17 as of Friday morning.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 27, 2020 12:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).