Uttar Pradesh Health Minister Jai Pratap Singh, former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and her son MP Dushyant Singh, were among those who tested negative for the coronavirus, after attending a recent dinner party with singer Kanika Kapoor, who tested positive.
Also read: ‘Baby Doll’ singer Kanika Kapoor confirms testing positive for coronavirus
All samples collected from people who attended the parties in which Ms. Kapoor was present in Lucknow have tested negative, the Uttar Prasdesh Directorate of Health Services said on Saturday. Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 positive cases in the State climbed to 26 with fresh cases from Noida and Moradabad, the latter a woman with a travel history from France.
The three leaders were among politicians and socialites who attended a recent dinner party in Lucknow in which Ms. Kapoor, who returned from London, was also present. Her announcement on Friday that she had tested positive for the disease caused a scare among those present at the event, forcing some of them including Mr. Singh, Ms. Raje and Mr. Dushyant into self-isolation.
The Bollywood singer was later on Friday booked on charges of negligence for allegedly attending three events in Lucknow despite being asked to stay under home quarantine, a charge which contradicts the sequence of events as stated by her.
A report from the King George’s Medical University said Mr. Jai Pratap Singh tested negative. Ms. Raje announced her status on Twitter, saying that she and her son would continue to be in isolation for 15 days as a preventive measure.
“After conducting a #Covid19 test, I’m happy to inform you that the results came back negative,” she said. “A lot of you checked up on me and I appreciate your concern. I want to thank you for your prayers & good wishes. They are what keep me going!” Ms. Raje said.
162 contacts identified
The Uttar Pradesh Health Department said it had identified and contacted 162 contacts who had attended the different parties at Lucknow with Ms. Kapoor. Asking the public not to panic, the department stated that till date, all positive cases in the State were “trackable to persons with history of foreign travel over 28 days prior to onset of symptoms.”
COVID-19 | Interactive map of confirmed coronavirus cases in India
The government further said “there is no evidence of secondary transmission not trackable to a known source.”
All localities where positive cases have been found at Lucknow, have been thoroughly sanitized by expert teams, it said, adding that no new suspects have been found in case search activity in these areas.
Tracking of all these cases was being done daily and they are all asymptomatic, the Health Department said. Meanwhile, 10 COVID-19 positive cases in Uttar Pradesh have recovered fully and discharged from hospitals — seven in Agra, two in Ghaziabad and one in Noida, the government said.
The State has so far sent 1,236 samples for testing, out of which 1067 were found negative while 143 results were still awaited. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced his government would spend ₹353 crore in monthly payouts of ₹1,000 each to over 35 lakh construction workers, daily wage earners, labourers, vendors and hawkers to support them during the shut down. The money would be directly sent to them through Direct Bank Transfer.
Mr. Adityanath also instructed officials to provide one month free ration to over 1.65 crore construction workers and daily labourers registered under Antyodaya Yojana and MNREGA in April. He asked shopkeepers and traders to not hoard supplies or sell at a rate higher than the retail price, and assured people that the State had sufficient supplies of food, as well as masks, sanitisers and medicine. “There will be no shortage of supplies in the market. We only want to avoid crowding,” he said.
