Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has quarantined himself at his Ranchi residence after he came in contact with Drinking and Sanitation Minister Mithilesh Thakur who has tested positive for COVID-19. The chief minister said he will continue to perform his duty from home and urged everyone to wear a mask while going outside and to maintain social distancing. Soren has also asked all his staff in the office to undergo home quarantine.
According to the officials, Soren’s swab samples are expected to be tested during the day. Thakur is the first minister in Soren’s cabinet to have tested positive for COVID-19.
Meanwhile, Cabinet minister Mithilesh Thakur and another party MLA Mathura Mahato have been found corona positive and are currently under treatment at the COVID-19 ward of Ranchi’s Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS).
Jharkhand has reported over 3,000 COVID-19 cases, on Tuesday, of which, 892 are active. The death toll in the state stands at 22.