CHANDIGARH: Punjab rural development minister
Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa
(77) on Tuesday tested positive for Covid-19, becoming the first minister in the state to be hit by the deadly virus.
Dr Avneet Kaur, director, health and family welfare, Punjab, told TOI that Bajwa had taken the TrueNat Beta test at the Mohali Civil Hospital on Tuesday and was found to be positive. Asked if the minister had the option to stay in home quarantine, she said, "A medical assessment of his case will be done by a team of doctors, in terms of his co-morbidity, symptoms and other factors".
Earlier, the minister had got himself tested on Friday after holding a meeting with the director of his department, Vipul Ujjwal, IAS, who had tested positive. Bajwa was, however, found negative in his initial report.
Meanwhile, with as many as 13 PCS officers and an IAS officer couple (Ujjwal and his wife), all officials who have been attending meetings with their infected colleagues have gone into quarantine and are getting themselves tested for Covid-19. Many officers in the districts are already in quarantine.
Earlier, in April, two Punjab Congress MPs - Ravneet Singh Bittu and Mohammad Sadiq – had self-quarantined over coronavirus fear after meeting with Rajasthan MP Dushyant Singh, who had met Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor at a programme in Lucknow. Kanika had initially tested positive.
Meanwhile, Tript Bajwa was not available for comments.
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