Scare as 2 Cong MLAS test +ve after session
CHANDIGARH : In a major goof-up and lapses in covid-19 protocol, two Congress MLAS were tested positive after they attended the one-day Vidhan Sabha session on Friday. The development, though, has caused panic in government circles as both the MLAS, Kulbir Singh Zira and Nirmal Singh Shutrana, were seen mingling freely with party colleagues and ministers in the House.
The Vidhan Sabha secretariat had made it mandatory for all MLAS to show a Covid-19 negative report at the time of the entry to the premises.
A senior government functionary said Zira and Shutrana had been tested through the Rapid Antigen method. Experts, however, say in this method, a negative result cannot be taken as the final word, and a repeat test through RT-PCR method is always advised. A Rapid Antigen report is out in half-an-hour, while an RT-PCR report can take up to two days or even more. Zira was tested on Friday morning as well and was found to be negative in antigen testing.
“Zira’s Trunat test was done again on the directions of health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, who was told by a colleague that Zira’s can’t be negative as his close family contacts are positive. Trunat’s report came after two hours and he tested positive,” the senior health functionary said.
Shutrana had tested negative in antigen testing, which he had undergone in Patiala on Wednesday. He developed fever, while attending the session and left in a huff, sources say. This time, he tested positive in antigen testing.
A photo is viral on social media in which Zira is seen touching the feet of chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh, with the latter patting his back. The CM has now gone into self-isolation for seven days.
Zira, as per the Congress MLAS, met at least ten legislators at his official residence in MLA flats before testing positive. He could not be contacted despite repeated attempts. Interestingly, in information about MLAS found positive during the testing circulated by official sources on Thursday, Zira’s name was mentioned as ‘Kulbir Singh’.