Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday said that he will isolate himself for the next few days after a state Cabinet minister and an MLA from his party tested positive for the coronavirus. Soren will be tested for the coronavirus later in the day.
“My cabinet colleague Mithilesh Thakur and our party’s [Jharkhand Mukti Morcha] MLA Mathura Mahto have been found to have contracted the coronavirus,” Soren wrote on Twitter. “Both of them are under treatment at a government hospital. As a precaution, I will also go into self-isolation.” Soren added that he would continue to perform all necessary tasks while quarantining.
The chief minister appealed to the people to take all necessary precautions against the coronavirus. “Avoid crowded places as much as you can,” Soren said. “Always wear masks and maintain safe distance from others.” He has also asked his staff members to quarantine themselves, PTI reported.
Jharkhand has reported 2,996 coronavirus cases and 22 deaths so far, according to data from the Union health ministry.
On Tuesday, medical teams were sent to Soren’s Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar’s official residence in Patna to run a temporary hospital equipped with a ventilator after his relatives tested positive for the coronavirus.
India reported 22,752 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday morning. The country’s overall count rose to 7,42,417. The toll went up by 482 to 20,642. More than 4.56 lakh in people in India have recovered.
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