New Delhi, Apr 7 (IANS): Taking preventive measures amid lockdown, the Border Security Force (BSF) has asked its formations to extend leaves of their personnel, due to join this month, up to April 21.

The BSF has communicated the decision to each personnel on leave through telephone.

"Instructions have been issued to all the BSF formations that leave of personnel should be extended up to April 21. To avoid any communication gap, they are telephonically informed," the BSF said in a statement, here on Tuesday.

The step has been taken as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of Covid-19 among the personnel on duty.

The 2.5 lakh-strong force is mandated to guard 3,323 km India-Pakistan and 4,096 km India-Bangladesh borders.

The BSF has circulated similar instructions to its training institutes informing them that no one from such units be allowed to move out till April 21. "The centres where training programmes are running and are due to end in coming days have been directed to hold any movement till April 21," the statement said.

"No movement before April and stay wherever you are," it said.

The COVID-19 toll has risen to 114 and confirmed cases to 3,981 across the country. The 21-day lockdown was imposed on March 24 midnight to break the coronavirus transmission chain.