BHOPAL: A former union minister is the latest politician to have tested positive for coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh. The 76-year-old BJP veteran, who was a union minister between 2002 and 2004 tested positive for the deadly viral infection on Tuesday and was subsequently admitted at a private hospital in Indore.
While confirming the development, a senior official in Dhar district said while the politician has been hospitalized in Indore as he is a cardiac patient too, his BJP MLA wife has been home quarantined in Dhar town.
The septuagenarian was suffering from cough and cold since last two days, after which his samples were sent for COVID-19 testing on Monday and his test report came positive on Tuesday. He possibly contracted the infection while meeting a large number of people at his residence in Dhar town.
With this, so far five major politicians, three of them sitting legislators have so far tested positive for the COVID-19.
Out of the three sitting legislators, two are BJP MLAs (one of whom Om Prakash Saklecha was recently sworn in as a cabinet minister after testing negative for COVID-19) while one is a first-time Congress MLA. A former BJP MLA, who is now with the Congress too had tested COVID-19 positive in the past.
Social distancing and face mask violators to be turned into Corona Warriors
Unable to check on the violation of social distancing norms and people not wearing face masks/covers, the Bhopal district administration has decided not only to fine the violators, but also turn them into Corona Warriors.
In the order released on Monday, the Bhopal collector Avinash Lavaniya has directed that besides monetarily penalizing those caught violating the social distancing norms or not wearing face masks/covers, the wrong doers will be deployed with the government set up as Corona Warriors at the Fever Clinics, border check posts as well as COVID-19 pandemic related publicity and awareness works.
Also, all commercial concerns/shopping malls failing to enforce social distancing norms/wearing of face masks/covers will be closed for three days. Action will also be initiated against wrong-doers u/s 188 of IPC.
The order by Bhopal district administration comes close on the heels of similar orders by the Gwalior district administration.
So far, 15,284 positive COVID-19 cases have been reported in the state, including 3110 cases in Bhopal only. Till Monday, 617 patients had died in the state, while 11,579 patients had recovered from the deadly infection. As per the state COVID-19 bulletin released on Monday evening, as many as 3088 active patients are still admitted at hospitals across the state.