Highlights:
- Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain tests positive for the novel Coronavirus
- Authorities say they have initiated contact tracing
- Satyendar Jain has tested negative 1 day before testing positive
On Wednesday, the Health Minister of Delhi, Satyendar Jain tested positive for the novel Coronavirus, one day after he tested negative. He was reported positive for the deadly virus just hours after he was tested the second time.
Satyendar Jain’s sample was taken on Wednesday afternoon for the second time after his symptoms of the Coronavirus like fever and low oxygen levels continued despite being tested negative on Tuesday.
Jain was admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital on the night of 15th of June when he complained of breathlessness and high fever.
An official said, “The minister continues to be on oxygen support for the second day in a row and his treatment is slated to continue at the same hospital,”.
Reports claim that as per Delhi Government the contact tracing of people who met and interacted with Satyendar Jain in the last few days has already been started and as per requirements and guidelines they, too, will be quarantined as per doctors’ advice.
As Delhi’s Health Minister will remain hospitalised for the next few days, the command of the health department could be handed to another cabinet minister, even as Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is yet to take a decision on the matter.
Jain is one of the key people in Delhi’s fight against COVID-19 and has been proactively holding multiple meetings at various levels. He was also present at the meeting which was chaired by the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, on Sunday to review the preparedness of Delhi in its fight against the novel Coronavirus.
Arvind Kejriwal and Satyendar Jain met at the latter’s house before the meeting and even returned from the meeting in the same vehicle.
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Following this, Delhi Jal Board’s Vice Chairman, Raghav Chadha and Satyendar Jain left Kejriwal’s house in the same vehicle. Even Delhi’s Deputy CM, Manish Sisodia was present at the house of Delhi’s CM after the meeting with Amit Shah.
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Right before his hospitalisation, Jain also had a meeting with several hotels and restaurants owners as the government south their properties as an extension of the hospitals of COVID-19 treatment in the wake of rising number in Delhi.
Apart from Satyendar Jain, 3 more members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government tested positive for the novel Coronavirus on Wednesday. AAP MLA from Kalkaji, Atishi Marlena, who has been seen involved in the thinktank of the AAP Government’s strategy of interventions (for both in terms of relief and the health measures from the initiation of the lockdown), AAP spokesperson, Akshay Marathe, member of Kejriwal’s inner circle, and Abhinandita Mathur, who is the advisor to the Deputy CM, Manish Sisodia and has been actively involved in the relief operations amidst the lockdown.
Atishi Marlena said that she self-isolated herself on the 11th of June after an IAS officer in Delhi Secretariat tested positive for the deadly virus. She said she got herself tested on the 16th of June and is asymptomatic.
Akshay Marathe said that he had mild symptoms of sore throat and body ache. Abhinandita Mathur said she got the test done at a paid facility. All 3 AAP government members are in hole isolation as of now.
Currently, everyone is looking at Kejriwal and Sisodia who will, too, have to self-isolate as per the guidelines and protocols. Kejriwal, earlier, got himself tested for the novel Coronavirus but fortunately had tested negative.
Even though Marlena, Marathe, and Mathur had been working from separate offices they tested positive for the novel Coronavirus, Kejriwal met Jain a couple of hours before the latter’s admission to the hospital. Similarly, Jain, Sisodia, and Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot had attended the SDMA meeting on June 10. Apart from ministers, many bureaucrats and journalists have been meeting Jain on a regular basis.
Meanwhile, Jain’s father-in-law died on Wednesday after a brief illness, sources said.
He was 88 and was not diagnosed with COVID-19. He died of natural causes, they said, adding Jain’s father-in-law was not keeping well for the past few days.
