On Thursday, a Congress party leader from Idukki district in Kerala tested positive for the deadly Wuhan Coronavirus. He has now been admitted to an isolation ward at the Thodupuzha District Hospital. Reportedly, he came in contact with at least 3 MLAs and a Cabinet Minister during his tour of the South Indian State.
260 people have been quarantined and 2 have been isolated, following the new development. He has now been labelled as “potential super spreader” by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, because he jumped quarantine and kept visiting various places and meeting people, potentially infecting many of them.
#Breaking | Kerala Cong leader has been accused of being ‘super spreader’ who had jumped quarantine & met 3 MLAs, cabinet minister & attended prayers, protest & even assembly.
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) March 27, 2020
260 now quarantined, 2 isolated.
Priya & Vivek with details. | #CongCoronaHypocrisy pic.twitter.com/pUwTeW0PTQ
The Congress politician had visited several places including Palakkad, Sholayur, Marayur, Munnar, Aluva, Perumbavoor, Mavelikkara, and Thiruvananthapuram, besides the state secretariat building. He had also attended a public prayer in a mosque in Cheruthony on March 13 and 22. Besides, he attended a committee meeting at the party office in Thodupuzha on March 14. Meanwhile, he had also taken part in a protest.
The Congress leader had developed a fever on March 13 but was allowed to go home, after he denied being in contact with anyone infected with Covid-19 or recent travel history to foreign countries. When his fever did not subside, the Kerala Congress politician was instructed to go under quarantine.
This has now sparked a state of panic amongst the elite political circles of the State. Idukki Collector, H Dhineshan, has therefore now directed people who have come in contact with the politician to self-quarantine at their homes.
Scare in political sphere in #Kerala. The route map of @INCIndia Idukki leader, who was tested +ve for #ChineseVirus19 , reveals that he traveled accross the state and met prominentpolitical leaders including state Ministers.Following this @Oommen_Chandy gone into self quarantine pic.twitter.com/4D8v02YBCS
— P Ramdas (@PRamdas_TNIE) March 27, 2020
Earlier, singer Kanika Kapoor became the first Bollywood celebrity to test positive for COVID-19. As per reports, she allegedly tried to hide her travel history, had defied self-isolation protocols and even evaded screening. Kapoor also stayed at a 5-star hotel in Lucknow and threw a dinner party.
Earlier, BJP MP Dushyant Singh, who attended Kanika Kapoor’s dinner party along with his mother Vasundhara Raje had been tested negative in the first sampling taken to test for coronavirus infection. Singh and Vasundhara Raje, the former Chief Minister of Rajasthan, self quarantined themselves when the news of Kanika Kapoor being isolated due to infection by the novel coronavirus came out.