U’Khand CM, two ministers to be put under quarantine

DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand chief minister and two other cabinet ministers will be put under quarantine after state tourism minister Satpal Maharaj tested positive for Covid-19, along with his two sons and daughters-in-law, on Sunday, officials said. As many as 17 members of Maharaj’s staff have also tested positive.

The development has come a day after Maharaj’s wife tested positive for the infection.

Maharaj had attended a cabinet meeting with CM Trivendra Singh Rawat, and senior bureaucrats including chief secretary and health secretary, at the state secretariat on Friday.

Confirming the test results, Abhishek Sharma, officer on special duty to the tourism minister said, “Maharaj, his two sons and two daughters-in-law tested positive on Sunday along with 17 of his staff members. A total of 41 people including Maharaj and others who came in contact with his wife, were put in quarantine and tested for the viral infection as per the health norm on Saturday itself. The remaining have tested negative.”

Government spokesperson Madan Kaushik, who is among the Cabinet members to be quarantined, said, “All the norms issued by the health department will be followed by us according to which CM Rawat, minister of forest Harak Singh Rawat and I will go in quarantine.”

State Congress vice-president, Suryakant Dhasmana, said, “First of all it is a very unfortunate development... But the bigger threat of infection now looms over other Cabinet ministers and CM who were present in the Cabinet meeting.”