Himachal Pradesh CM Jai Ram Thakur in self quarantine

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said he was going into self-quarantine after a deputy secretary in his office tested positive for the novel coronavirus on July 22.

“As per coronavirus protocol, I am going to quarantine myself,” Thakur told the media.

He then quarantined himself at his official residence at Oakover.

Additional Chief Secretary (Health) R D Dhiman said the CM’s sample was taken for testing for coronavirus infection and his result came negative.

He said the CM’s wife and two other family members have also tested negative for the virus.

Dhiman said that a total of 63 samples were taken for testing –36 samples including those of the CM, his staff and security personnel posted at his official residence Oakover; and 27 of officials and other staff at his office in the state secretariat.

The ACS (Health) said that all the contacts of the deputy secretary in CM’s office who has tested positive were already asked to home-quarantine.

Dhiman said the CM’s office was fully disinfected and working in the Secretariat will be as usual on Thursday.

Meanwhile a cabinet minister in Shivraj Singh Chauhan government in Madhya Pradesh is among the 215 people who tested positive on July 22.

The concerned minister along with other ministers also attended the cabinet meeting chaired by the CM in Bhopal on July 22.

He had also attended the last rites of Governor Lajji Tandon in Lucknow on July 21.

So far, four BJP MLAs and three Congress MLAs, including ex-ministers have tested positive for COVID-19 in the state.

A ten day total lock-down has been ordered in Bhopal, starting from July 24 evening, in the wake of sudden spurt in COVID-19 cases since the last 10 days.