Uttar Pradesh minister to take Covid-19 test to set speculations to rest

LUCKNOW: Medical education minister Suresh Khanna has decided to undergo Covid-19 test to set to rest an issue which has cropped up just after his visit to Meerut medical college recently. During his visit to the medical college on June 1, the minister had met a few patients. Later, one of those patients was found positive for novel coronavirus infection.
This has caused a flutter in the corridors of power as the medical education minister, after returning from Meerut, had attended a series of meetings at his office in the state secretariat and also at Jawahar Bhawan. Both the buildings are being sanitized now. After attending these meetings, Khanna had gone to his Kalidas Marg residence. Now, to settle the issue, the minister has decided to undergo Covid-19 test.
Khanna said that he would not quarantine himself as he had interacted with the patient, who turned out to be Covid-19 positive, only for a few minutes and that too from the distance of about four feet.
“I was wearing mask and the patient, too, was wearing mask. We talked from a distance of about four feet,” the minister added. “But yes now I am considering to undergo the coronavirus confirmatory test,” said Khanna who has already sought medical experts’ advice in this connection. Khanna is the second UP minister to be caught in the corona controversy. First was state’s health minister Jai Prakash Singh who had attended a high profile party here. As the same party was attended by singer Kanika Kapoor, who was detected Covid-19 positive later and was admitted to SGPGI, the minister went for the confirmatory test and had to be in quarantine. However, Khanna had visited Meerut medical college following the CM's directives to inspect hospitals and meet patients to enquire about their medical conditions and also to ensure that they would get proper treatment. On June 1, the medical education minister took off from Lucknow on a state chopper for the inspection of Meerut medical college. Khanna had meetings with authorities of the medical college and had taken a round of general ward.
During his inspection, he was accompanied by a local BJP leader Sunil Bharala. Sources said that Bharala took the minister to a reserved area where suspected Covid patients were admitted. Khanna had talked to them for a few minutes and after issuing necessary instructions left for Ghaziabad. He had also attended a meeting at Ghaziabad and then returned to the state capital on Tuesday.
In Lucknow Khanna had meetings with his staff at Jawahar Bhawan covid control room, medical health directorate and at his secretariat office. These meetings had continued till late night and then the minister had returned to his Kalidas Marg residence which has also been sanitized now.