Uttarakhand minister COVID-19 positive, entire cabinet quarantined

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, along with his entire state Cabinet, was placed under home quarantine hours after Uttarakhand Minister Satpal Maharaj tested positive for coronavirus this week.

Uttarakhand, a state in northern India, is known for its Hindu pilgrimage sites. Rishikesh, a major centre for yoga study, was made famous by the Beatles’ 1968 visit. 

Satpal Maharaj and at least two dozen of his family members and staff also tested positive, state officials said. This came a day after the minister`s wife Amrita Rawat, who had fever for the past few days, tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday.

Maharaj, the state Tourism Minister, had attended a cabinet meeting on Friday where Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and other ministers of the BJP government were present.

"Very disturbing news, the whole Uttrakhand Cabinet including the Chief Minister may be quarentined (sic) as a Cabinet Minister who attended the Cabinet Meeting found Corona positive," Congress state Vice President Suryakant Dhasmana said in a tweet.

In a video on his Twitter handle, Dhasmana said: "I think the whole cabinet should go into quarantine and get themselves checked at the earliest as it is a matter of public welfare, of public health, of people`s health... so many of the state`s people, party leaders and officials, ministers come in contact."

"I pray to God that no one else turns out to be infected... to stop this happening, this (quarantining) is necessary. We pray that the Chief Minister and his colleagues stay healthy, and Maharaj ji and his family come out victorious."