Karnataka: With BS Yediyurappa testing positive, 5 ministers in home quarantine

BENGALURU: Already struggling in the fight against the pandemic, the administrative machinery has been dealt a body blow, what with chief minister BS Yediyurappa, two ministers and several senior officials indisposed after testing positive for the virus. Besides them, at least five ministers and a dozen officials who held meetings with Yediyurappa over the past few days are now in home quarantine.
The latter list includes deputy CM Govind Karjol, besides ministers R Ashoka, Basavaraj Bommai, Byrathi Basavaraj and Kota Shreenivasa Poojary although all of them have tested negative.Two ministers – BC Patil and Anand Singh – who had tested positive recently are already in home isolation.
SR Vishwanath, CM’s political secretary, who was in-charge of managing Covid-19 in Yelahanka zone, has also decided to stay in home quarantine, while governor Vajubhai R Vala, who held a meeting with Yediyurappa and Bommai on Saturday, may also remain indoors for a few days.
Vala’s personal secretary Tejas Bhatti, in a statement released by the governor's office, said, “After learning that the chief minister has tested coronavirus positive, the governor, his aide-de-camp, and I took a test and the results were negative.” With so many of the top tier in the government out of action, it remains to be seen how the state will continue its fight against the pandemic.
Hours after Yediyurappa learnt he was infected, his daughter Padmavathi and eight personal staff were also found to have contracted the virus. “After Yediyurappa and his daughter tested positive, all staffers and others at his official residence and home-office were subjected to tests,” an official said.
Yediyurappa’s younger son BY Vijayendra, who was last week elevated to BJP state vice-president, is also in home quarantine although he tested negative. Other members of the family who had come in contact with the CM and his staffers including security personnel and housekeeping staff have been made to undergo random tests. BBMP staff on Monday sanitised the CM's official residence Cauvery, his office Krishna and his Dollars Colony house and surrounding areas.
It’s still not clear how the CM contracted the virus. It is speculated that one of his cooks at his official residence Cauvery, who had tested positive three or four days ago, could have possibly passed on the infection. “But we cannot definitely say he transmitted the virus,” a source said. Another theory that he contracted the virus while flagging off Metro tunnelling work on Friday is also doing the rounds.