More politicians in self-isolation
Lucknow : Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor, who tested Covid-19 positive, is reportedly doing well at a quarantine facility here but the panic that she triggered among high profile politicians from Lucknow to Rajasthan, Delhi and even Kolkata is spreading further.
Two more Members of Parliament (MPs) Ravi Kishan and Kamlesh Paswan, both from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have announced that they are in self-isolation.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh health minister Jai Pratap Singh, former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje, her son and BJP MP Dushyant Singh all tested negative. These three were among the politicians and UP government bureaucrats who attended a high-profile social party on March 19 in which Kanika was also present. However, all three are continuing their self-isolation.
While Jai Pratap Singh is not taking calls, Vasundhara Raje tweeted on Saturday evening that she would continue in isolation as a matter of precaution: “After conducting a #Covid19 test, I’m happy to inform you that the results came back negative. However, as a preventive measure, my son and I will continue to be in isolation for 15 days,” said her tweet.
On Saturday, BJP’s Gorakhpur MP Ravi Kishan and Bansgaon MP Kamlesh Paswan who came in contact with Dushyant Singh during a breakfast party hosted in Delhi by President Ram Nath Kovind on March 13, also went into self-isolation, the former in Gorakhpur and the latter at his Delhi residence.
Both said they were facing no health issues but had isolated themselves as a precautionary measure because they came in contact with Dushyant Singh.
“Yes, I am living in isolation at home to avoid public contact,” Ravi Kishan. When contacted, Kamlesh Paswan said,” I will come out once Dushyant’s reports are found negative. Till then I am avoiding all public contact.”
There were over two dozen MPs from Rajasthan and UP at Kovind’s breakfast gathering.
By Friday evening, the President had decided to cancel all his engagements indefinitely. A senior official at Rashtrapati Bhawan said, “The President has cancelled all his engagements for the time being. He will not be travelling anywhere and not meeting visitors.”
The Rashtrapati Bhavan secretariat consulted union health ministry officials and will wait for complete medical guidance on the steps to be taken by all officials who attended the programme.
From Parliament, MPs Derek O’Brien, Sanjay Singh of Aam Aadmi Party (who said he had been in close touch with O’Brien), Varun Gandhi, Anupriya Patel and Satyapal Singh decided to go into self-quarantine as they attended the ongoing Parliament session with Dushyant. On March 17 and 18, the state health minister attended the UP cabinet meeting and then intermingled with other ministers and MLAs at gatherings on the three-year completion of Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya got himself and his family tested on Friday and on Saturday their reports were negative.