Scare at Sena HQ after recent visitor tests +ve

Sources say, the Sainik was not present at the party's foundation day celebrations on June 19

There was a scare in the Shiv Sena headquarters after a worker who had visited the premises earlier this month, tested positive for coronavirus. The Shiv Sena Bhavan building at Dadar will be closed until the next week for sanitisation, in what was described as a “routine exercise”.

A senior Shiv Sena leader said that a Sainik had visited the party headquarters around two weeks ago. “He did not go there again. However, he tested positive for corona later. Hence, we are following the standard protocol and shutting the building, disinfecting and sanitising it,” he explained, adding that this was being done regularly since the outbreak of the corona pandemic.

The leader said that the man, a Mahim resident, was not a party functionary, but an activist. “Our cadre is working at the grassroots and many of them have tested positive,” he added.

Rajya Sabha MP and Shiv

Sena leader Anil Desai too described it as a “regular fortnightly and monthly exercise for sanitisation and disinfection”.

Desai said they had followed proper protocol, like deploying thermal scanners, gloves, and sanitisers. “The Shiv Sena Bhavan has not been opened to the public, only party workers are being allowed access,” he said, adding that the Covid-positive Sainik was not a regular visitor.

Another Shiv Sena source said that the Sainik had tested positive on June 19, the Shiv

Sena’s foundation day. He however, denied reports that the man had been present at the party headquarters during the foundation day celebrations, attended by Chief Minister and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and his son, the environment and tourism minister and Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray, among others.

“This sanitisation is a routine process, akin to that done in Mantralaya. This has been done earlier as well. There is no need for panic,” the functionary urged.