Himachal Jal Shakti minister Mahender Singh tests positive for Covid-19

Himachal Pradesh Jal Shakti minister Mahender Singh Thakur tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday, ahead of the monsoon session of state assembly which begins on September 7.

“I got the Covid-19 test done after developing some early symptoms and the report came out positive. I humbly request all those who came in my contact in the recent days to isolate themselves and also undergo a test for the virus,” Thakur wrote on his Facebook page.

The minister was feeling uneasy for last two days and had got a routine checkup at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Shimla on Wednesday. He again visited the hospital on Thursday and his sample was sent for Truenat test for Covid-19. The test report came out positive in the afternoon.

Thakur had visited New Delhi and met BJP national president JP Nadda on August 20 and 21.

After returning from Delhi, Thakur had also attended a cabinet meeting held in Shimla.

Meanwhile, a team of doctors will decide whether he will be admitted to a hospital or will home isolate. His personal staff has been quarantined and contract tracing is being done.

The 70-year-old leader is the second minister in Himachal to have caught the virus after power minister Sukhram Chaudhary. Chaudhary and his daughters had tested positive on August 6, soon after he was inducted into the cabinet. He was discharged on August 20 after he recovered.

Earlier, chief minister Jai Ram Thakur went into a quarantine after a deputy secretary was found infected in July. He, however, did not contract the virus.

Himachal Pradesh on Thursday recorded 199 fresh Covid-19 infections, taking the state tally to 6,615, officials said. This is the biggest single-day spike in the state.

Of the new cases, 52 were reported in Sirmaur, 41 in Solan, 40 in Kangra, 19 in Una, 13 each in Hamirpur and Bilaspur, 11 in Shimla, six in Kinnaur, two in Kullu and one each in Chamba and Mandi.

Active cases have climbed to 1,708 while 4,814 people have recovered till date. The death toll has mounted to 46 with three deaths in last 24 hours. All the deceased belonged to Solan district.

A 56-year-old man residing at the housing board colony, Nalagarh, who was referred to PGI, Chandigarh, on August 31 after testing positive, died last evening. Another 80-year-old man died in Solan. Two more deaths were recorded in Nalagarh including a 28-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh who was currently residing at Manpura and 45-year-old factory worker.

With 1,533 cases, Solan remains the worst-hit district followed by Sirmaur where 980 cases have been reported till date. Kangra has 966 cases, Hamirpur 611, Una 533, Chamba 442, Mandi 403, Bilaspur 374, Shimla 376, Kullu 287 and 102 cases in Kinnaur district. Lahaul-Spiti remains the least affected district in the state as it has only reported eight Covid-19 cases till date.