Aishwarya, Aaradhya to quarantine at home, confirms Abhishek Bachchan

Mumbai: Actor Abhishek Bachchan said his wife, actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and daughter Aaradhya will be “self quarantining at home” after they tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Sunday.

A day after Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek revealed their diagnosis of COVID-19, the megastar’s daughter-in-law Aishwarya (46) and granddaughter Aaradhya (8) also tested positive for the virus.

Amitabh’s wife, veteran actor-MP Jaya Bachchan, 71, has tested negative.

In a series of tweets, Abhishek also said he and his father will “remain in hospital till the doctors decide otherwise”.

“Aishwarya and Aaradhya have also tested COVID-19 positive. They will be self quarantining at home. The BMC has been updated of their situation and are doing the needful. The rest of the family including my Mother have tested negative. Thank you all for your wishes and prayers,” Abhishek, who is admitted to Nanavati Hospital along with his father, said.

“My father and I remain in hospital till the doctors decide otherwise,” he added.

The actor, who is currently seen in Amazon Prime Video series “Breathe: Into The Shadows”, further urged people to remain cautious and safe.

“Please follow all rules!” he said.

Earlier in the day, Maharashtra’s Health Minister Rajesh Tope told PTI that it was “completely” the family’s decision to quarantine Aishwarya and Aaradhya at home or get them admitted to the hospital.

“Swab test of the staff has been taken, the reports are awaited,” Tope added.

The news of coronavirus infecting the Bachchan clan triggered an outpouring of prayers and well-wishes for the 77-year-old screen icon who has dominated Bollywood for over five decades.

In Ujjain, a group of his fans offered prayers at the local temple, and wished him and family speedy recovery.

A fan recalled on Twitter that the megastar overcame a life-threatening injury on the sets of film “Coolie” in 1982 and will do the same now.

Amitabh and Abhishek (44) shared their COVID-19 diagnosis on Twitter on Saturday, saying they were in the isolation ward of the city-based hospital.

Dr Abdul Samad Ansari, director of Critical Care Services at Nanavati Hospital, on Sunday said the Bachchan father-son duo were “feeling better” and their condition was stable.

“Both Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek are comfortable and feeling better. General blood chemistries are acceptable with stable vitals. Both slept well and had their breakfasts. They are stable,” Ansari told PTI.

The BMC has declared four bungalows of the Bachchan family – Jalsa, Pratiksha, Janak and Vatsa – in Mumbai as containment zones and sealed them, a civic official said.

Civic employees sanitised the bungalows on Sunday, the official said. Around 30 workers in these places were also screened for the coronavirus on Sunday, he added.

A BMC team went to the bungalows for sanitising them and also for contact tracing, an official said.

Security was also stepped up outside Bachchan’s two bungalows in Juhu and outside the hospital, the police said.

The coronavirus case tally in Mumbai rose to 91,457 on Saturday. There are 22,779 active patients in Mumbai and the doubling rate is 50 days.