India's Sriharikota rocket port reports first COVID-19 case; ISRO ramps up measures

India's rocket launching station Sriharikota last week reported its first case of Coronavirus after having stayed out of troubled waters for nearly 6 months amid the pandemic. Two employees of the rocket port tested positive for coronavirus, confirmed officials, adding that they would have most likely caught the infection from their hometown back in Sullurpetta, Andhra Pradesh.

According to agency sources a number of employees at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, came from Sullurpetta, which is about 18 km from the rocket port. The number of cases of COVID-19 in Sullurpetta has been spiking owing to the nearby Koyembedu Market in Chennai, and the area has been declared as a containment zone.

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After the employees were found positive, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) authorities at the Sriharikota port and the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) have engaged in a massive sanitisation drive. The centre is now working with only a skeletal staff that is strictly adhering to all the COVID protocols laid down by the state.

The Shar hospital within the premises has also stepped up its preparedness in case of a possible outbreak. The hospital has now been equipped to carry out its own COVID testing lab within the premises of the rocket port. The SDSC has also issued an official circular prohibiting any movement in and out of the area until further clearance.

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