Karnataka: Former MLC Ivan D'Souza tests Covid positive, causes anxiety among KPCC ranks

MANGALURU: Former MLC Ivan D’Souza’s Facebook post on Saturday confirming his Covid-19 positive status along with his wife has literally set the cat among the pigeons in Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) ranks.
Ivan was an integral part of various functions that KPCC president DK Shivakumar and working president Saleem Ahmed were part of, on Friday and Saturday, along with the entire Dakshina Kannada District Congress Committee (DKDCC) leadership.
Ivan accompanied Shivakumar to all his public and private engagements in the city right from the time that Shivakumar landed at Mangaluru International Airport on Friday morning and even to the house of former MLA Vijaykumar Shetty on Saturday. He was seated on the dais near Shivakumar and other leaders when the latter addressed media at DCC office at Mallikatte, at Kudroli Sri Gokarnanatha Temple, at the Bishop’s House to name a few.
Ivan, who is undergoing treatment with his wife at a private hospital in the city told STOI that he had got himself tested on Monday and the test reports received the next day tested negative. “I went ahead with my public engagements from Tuesday till almost up to 3.30pm today, when I got a call from KMC Hospital that the swab reports of me and my wife given late on Friday was positive. We were a bit feverish on Friday and got ourselves tested,” he said.
A senior Congress worker who accompanied Shivakumar and Ivan to the house of Vijayakumar Shetty on Saturday told STOI that Ivan was busy coordinating various meetings in the run up to KPCC chief’s visit to the city. “The former MLC was also part of a lunch that was arranged for Congress leaders at Gokarnanatha temple which had more than 100 people in attendance and where social distancing norms had literally gone for a toss,” the worker said.
Reacting to the development, Dr KV Rajendra, deputy commissioner, said it is quite possible that the viral load was less when Ivan got himself tested on Monday and the same was captured in the subsequent swab tests. “It is imperative now for all those who came in close contact with the former MLC and his wife to self-quarantine themselves and also get themselves tested if they show any signs of the disease and inform others about their status,” he noted.