Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has become the latest high-profile politician to test positive for the novel Coronavirus.
In a late night tweet on Sunday, Yediyurappa informed that he has tested positive of COVID-19 while adding that he was doing fine and was being hospitalised as a precaution on recommendation of doctors.
The 77-year-old BJP leader also requested those who have come in contact with him in the past few days to be observant and exercise self-quarantine.
The Karnataka Chief Minister has been admitted to Manipal Hospital.
According to the hospital authorities, Yediyurappa is doing well, is clinically stable and will be closely monitored.
State Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar, who is in-charge of Covid care in the southern state, confirmed that Yediyurappa tested positive for the infection.
“I pray that he (Yediyurappa) will heal soon, as prayers of the people are with him. He will soon recover and return to work,” tweeted Sudhakar in Kannada.
The chief minister has been at home in the official residence since Friday due to three government holidays since July 31 to Sunday.
However, on Friday, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had met Governor Vajubhai Vala to discuss the state’s handling of the Coronavirus pandemic as the number of active cases touched 72,000.
Yediyurappa also inaugurated on Friday the new building of the Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Ltd (Keonics) for housing incubation, warehousing and start-ups in the city, where he came in contact with many people though he wore a mask and maintained physical distance.
State Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwath Narayan and other officials accompanied him for the function.
On July 30, the chief minister flagged off the tunnel boring machine for the second phase of the metro rail project in the city centre, where people were present in large numbers.
Meanwhile, his daughter Padmavathi has also tested positive for the virus, while his son Vijayendra, has tested negative.
The Karnataka Health Department has informed that all those who met the Chief Minister in the last 2-3 days will be tested for COVID-19 and CM Yediyurappa’s travel history of last one week will also be checked.
Last month, the chief minister had informed that he will work from his official residence Cauvery for a few days after some staffers at his home office Krishna tested positive for COVID-19.
The news about Yediyurappa comes hours after Union Home Minister Amit Shah informed that he has tested positive for COVID-19 coronavirus.
Shah, who said he is doing fine, has been admitted to the Medanta hospital in Gurugram on doctor’s suggestions.
Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit also on Sunday tested positive for Coronavirus and has been advised home quarantine, the Kauvery Hospital in Chennai said.
Purohit had gone to the hospital in the morning for a check.
In a statement issued here, Kauvery Hospital said: “He is asymptomatic and clinically stable. He underwent further tests and assessement at Kauvery Hospital, Alwarpet, Chennai today.”
“As the infection is mild, he has been advised home isolation and will be monitored by the medical team of Kauvery Hospital,” it said.
On July 29, Purohit had announced that he was self-isolating himself or seven days after three Raj Bhavan staffers tested positive for coronavirus.
Earlier on Sunday, Uttar Pradesh minister Kamal Rani Varun, who had tested positive for Coronavirus, died due to the infection in state capital Lucknow. She was 62.
She was admitted to the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) on July 18 and died at 9:30 am on Sunday, according to the government statement.
Varun was Minister of Technical Education in the Uttar Pradesh government.
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had on July 25 informed that he has tested positive for the virus. He has been admitted to the Chirayu Hospital in state capital Bhopal.