Uttarakhand cabinet minister Satpal Maharaj and 41 other people living at his residence were quarantined after his wife Amrita Rawat tested positive for coronavirus, news agency ANI reported.
The report further stated that their blood samples have been sent for COVID-19 testing.
Satpal Maharaj attended a cabinet meeting on Friday, 29 May. The meeting was also attended by chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat.
“My wife had a fever for the last three to four days. First, we conducted an immunity test at a private lab for COVID-19 in which she tested negative. However, when her fever didn’t subside, we got her tested for COVID-19 by taking her swab samples on Saturday in which she tested positive,” Hindustan Times quoted the minister as saying.
‘Will the Cabinet Be Quarantined?’ Asks Opposition
The Congress has been continuously accusing Rawat government of negligence in handling coronavirus cases in the state. After the incident, Vice President of the Uttarakhand Congress, Suryakant Dhamana questioned if the entire cabinet will be put under quarantine as they were in the Cabinet meeting on Friday.
The state of Uttarakhand now has over 700 coronavirus cases with five recorded deaths.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)