Tracing Himachal Power Minister’s contacts a Herculean task

Tribune News Service
Shimla, August 7

Mapping the primary and secondary contacts of Power Minister Sukh Ram Chaudhary, who has tested positive for Covid-19, is proving to be a Herculean task for the administrations of Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur districts.

Chaudhary took oath as the minister at Raj Bhawan on July 31 and later took part in a press conference addressed by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and other ministers, MLAs and party leaders.

Kashyap, who was also present at the oath-taking ceremony and later at the press conference, tested negative for Covid last evening, but as a precautionary measure he home- quarantined himself. Former Speaker and Nahan MLA Rajeev Bindal, who was with Chaudhary today, tested negative, but he also preferred home isolation.

Since Kashyap, after assuming the office of the BJP president, had called on Shanta Kumar and Prem Kumar Dhumal, the two former chief ministers have been advised to remain in home quarantine. The threat of a possible virus spread can be ruled out only when Kashyap’s second report too comes out to be negative.

The health surveillance office has so far traced 21 primary contacts of Chaudhary, including his family members, secretariat staff, and driver. Their samples are also being taken. The possibility of this number rising is high. Chaudhary was accorded a welcome en route from Shimla to Paonta at Shoghi, Solan, Sarahan, Nahan and Paonta Sahib.

“We are in the process of tracing the primary contacts of the minister at Nahan, Paonta Sahib, Sarahan and other places he had visited,” said RK Pruthi, Deputy Commissioner, Sirmaur. He added that the exact number of his contacts was yet to be ascertained and the testing of the primary contacts was being done side by side that could take two to three days.

Chaudhary was shifted to Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) Hospital here last night while his two daughters were taken to the Covid care centre at Mashobra, near here. Chaudhary’s private assistant had tested Covid-positive, prompting the minister to get himself sampled and he was found infected yesterday.

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