CHANDIGARH: Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and assembly speaker Gian Chand Gupta tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday, just two days ahead of the monsoon session of the assembly on August 26.
The chief minister was already in home isolation after Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who he had met in Delhi for the SYL meeting, tested positive. Later, the CM’s 10 security personnel posted at his Chandigarh residence along with his IT adviser Dhruv Mazumdar also had tested positive. “I was tested for novel coronavirus today. My test report has returned positive. I appeal to all colleagues and associates who came in my contact over the last week to get themselves tested. I request my close contacts to move into strict quarantine immediately,” Khattar tweeted on Monday evening. He had first been tested on August 21, but that report had come negative.
The CM’s Covid report came hours after Gupta, who is Panchkula MLA, announced that he had tested positive and quarantined himself at home. The speaker’s nephew was among six assembly staffers who had tested positive on Sunday, Panchkula civil surgeon Dr Jasjeet Kaur confirmed. No decision has been taken as yet on the duration of the session.
On Monday evening, there were indications that the session would be shortened to one day. However, the Haryana government is expected to take a formal decision on holding or postponing the session on Tuesday now, according to sources. There also was speculation that deputy speaker Ranbir Gangwa would preside over the assembly session in Gupta’s absence and deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala was expected to head the government response in the assembly.
After Khattar’s result came positive, a team of doctors headed by Dr R S Chauhan, the head of MLA hostel dispensary and CM House, reached the CM residence. The medical team consulted senior doctors and specialists and the CM was rushed to PGIMER Chandigarh for tests and consultation. Later, close to midnight, the 66-year-old was shifted to a private hospital in Gurugram for treatment.
Sources in the Haryana health department had earlier indicated that private hospitals in Gurugram and Panchkula had been kept on standby for the CM.
Besides the CM and speaker, Indri MLA Ram Kumar Kamboj also tested positive on Monday. The Haryana health department had drawn samples of 361 persons, including the speaker, MLAs, administrative staff and other officials of the state assembly before the assembly session in a three-day screening camp at the Haryana civil secretariat.
Senior officials in the Haryana assembly claimed that the assembly and offices of those who had tested positive had been sanitised repeatedly
The chief minister was already in home isolation after Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who he had met in Delhi for the SYL meeting, tested positive. Later, the CM’s 10 security personnel posted at his Chandigarh residence along with his IT adviser Dhruv Mazumdar also had tested positive. “I was tested for novel coronavirus today. My test report has returned positive. I appeal to all colleagues and associates who came in my contact over the last week to get themselves tested. I request my close contacts to move into strict quarantine immediately,” Khattar tweeted on Monday evening. He had first been tested on August 21, but that report had come negative.
I was tested for Novel Corona Virus today. My test report has returned positive.I appeal to all colleagues and as… https://t.co/oSg2Rp8OSh
— Manohar Lal (@mlkhattar) 1598275951000The CM’s Covid report came hours after Gupta, who is Panchkula MLA, announced that he had tested positive and quarantined himself at home. The speaker’s nephew was among six assembly staffers who had tested positive on Sunday, Panchkula civil surgeon Dr Jasjeet Kaur confirmed. No decision has been taken as yet on the duration of the session.
On Monday evening, there were indications that the session would be shortened to one day. However, the Haryana government is expected to take a formal decision on holding or postponing the session on Tuesday now, according to sources. There also was speculation that deputy speaker Ranbir Gangwa would preside over the assembly session in Gupta’s absence and deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala was expected to head the government response in the assembly.
After Khattar’s result came positive, a team of doctors headed by Dr R S Chauhan, the head of MLA hostel dispensary and CM House, reached the CM residence. The medical team consulted senior doctors and specialists and the CM was rushed to PGIMER Chandigarh for tests and consultation. Later, close to midnight, the 66-year-old was shifted to a private hospital in Gurugram for treatment.
Sources in the Haryana health department had earlier indicated that private hospitals in Gurugram and Panchkula had been kept on standby for the CM.
Besides the CM and speaker, Indri MLA Ram Kumar Kamboj also tested positive on Monday. The Haryana health department had drawn samples of 361 persons, including the speaker, MLAs, administrative staff and other officials of the state assembly before the assembly session in a three-day screening camp at the Haryana civil secretariat.
Senior officials in the Haryana assembly claimed that the assembly and offices of those who had tested positive had been sanitised repeatedly
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