More on Covid-19





NEW DELHI/LUCKNOW: The coronavirus scare reached Parliament and even Rashtrapati Bhavan , with BJP MP Dushyant Singh and with his mother, former Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje , going into “self-quarantine” after attending a party in Lucknow last Sunday where singer Kanika Kapoor, who has since tested positive for Covid-19, was also present.Raje’s tweet on Friday declaring that both she and Dushyant had been to the party where Kapoor, back from London, was also a guest sent many parliamentarians into a tizzy. Dushyant has been attending the House, spending time in the central hall and also attended a breakfast meeting hosted by President Ram Nath Kovind , who has cancelled his appointment for the next few days.The meeting with Kovind on Tuesday was for MPs from Rajasthan and UP and a photo released by Rashtrapati Bhavan showed Dushyant greeting the President and standing next to other MPs. Attendance has been high in Parliament and the central hall has also been fairly crowded with MPs and journalists.Dushyant also attended two other private gatherings with friends in Delhi over the last three days since his return from Lucknow.Raje tweeted on Friday to say, “While in Lucknow, I attended a dinner with my son Dushyant and his in-laws. Kanika, who has unfortunately tested positive for Covid-19, was also a guest. As a matter of abundant caution, my son and I have immediately self-quarantined and we’re taking all necessary precautions.”Kapoor was among four persons who tested positive for Covid-19 in Lucknow on Friday, triggering concern among the political class.Some MPs who spent any time in proximity with Dushyant have also gone in for self-quarantine, while others are anxiously checking on whether they were near him. The results of his seclusion may well be keenly awaited. Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien went into self-quarantine, as he had spent a good two and half hours next to Dushyant at a parliamentary standing committee meeting.Rajya Sabha MP and renowned dancer Sonal Mansingh was also at the meeting. O’Brien tweeted that the government was putting everyone at risk and the session should be curtailed. Congress leader and former MP Jitin Prasada also attended the same gathering as Kapoor and Dushyant and quarantined himself in Shahjahanpur as did Deepender Hooda, who had lunch with Dushyant on Thursday.UP health minister Jai Pratap Singh, who was present at the Lucknow party, also went into self-quarantine. “We had gone to a birthday party in which Kanika Kapoor was also invited. Though we are fine by the grace of God, we all have self-quarantined ourselves,” he said in a tweet.Among others who went into “self-isolation” were Noida BJP MLA Pankaj Singh , who attended a meeting with Jai Pratap, and Lok Sabha MP Anupriya Patel of Apna Dal, who tweeted: “I was present at an event yesterday and Dushyant Singh was also present. As a precaution, I am going for self-isolation.”In Lucknow, health officials told TOI that that during her stay in Lucknow, Kanika spent a few nights at a five-star hotel, attended several social gatherings besides paying a visit to a doctor and a beauty salon which brought every one of those she came in contact with under the coronavirus radar.Additional chief secretary (home) Awanish Awasthi asked the DMs of Lucknow and Kanpur to submit a report on various functions attended by the singer and urged all those who came in contact with her to “self-quarantine”.Kanika came to Mumbai from London on March 9. She then took an Air India flight to Lucknow on March 11. She claimed that she was scanned and cleared at Mumbai airport on arrival from London and the symptoms started appearing around March 16 when she was in Lucknow.She gave her sample at KGMU Hospital two days later and on Friday she tested positive.The district administration closed down the five-star hotel in Lucknow’s Gomtinagar where she stayed till further orders.Chief medical officer (Lucknow) Narendra Agarwal said: “Contact tracing and awareness exercise has been launched. So far, 68 immediate family members and relatives have been tested. The report will take a day.” He said Kanika was admitted to the isolation ward at Sanjay Gandhi Post-Graduate Institute.The Lucknow health office also formed eight teams to track Kanika’s possible contacts. The DM has also formed search teams to reach out to the guests who came in contact with Kanika.Earlier, Kanika also announced from her social media account that she had tested positive: “For the past four days, I have had signs of flu. I got myself tested and it came positive for Covid-19. I am feeling ok, like normal flu and mild fever, however we need to be sensible citizens.”