6 staff at CM office hit by virus; Governor, Bommai fine

Bengaluru: Six employees at the Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa’s office have tested positive for COVID-19, official sources said on Monday.

After the Chief Minister tested positive, his office and residence were sanitized. Besides, contact tracing was done during which the six of his staff members were confirmed to have contracted the virus, the sources said. However, Governor Vajubhai Vala and Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, whom the Chief Minister had met on July 31, have tested negative.

Officials said random tests were conducted at the Chief Minister’s premises and the six were found infected. They included a gunman, a driver, and house-keeping staff.

They have been sent to the COVID-19 care center set up at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BEIC) as they were asymptomatic, sources said.

Yediyurappas personal residence Dhavalagiri has been sanitized, the officials said, adding that entry would be restricted to the Chief Minister’s home and office.

He was admitted to Manipal hospital here on Sunday night after testing positive.

The hospital has said the Chief Minister was doing well and clinically stable.

Meanwhile, in a statement released by Governor’s office, his personal secretary Tejas Bhatti said, “After knowing that the Chief Minister has tested coronavirus positive, the Governor, his aide-de-camp, and I took a test and the results were negative.” Yediyurappa and Bommai had met the Governor at Raj Bhavan on July 31.

Bommai’s office, in a statement, said he had taken a rapid antigen test and the result was negative.