Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Friday went into self-quarantine after some of his staff members tested positive for COVID-19. The 77-year-old BJP warhorse cancelled all his day’s outings and plans to work from home.
The staffers who tested positive included a driver and an electrician who work at Krishna, the CM’s home-office or office-cum-residence here, sources said.
“Employees at my official residence Krishna tested positive due to which I will be working from home for a few days via video calls. There is no need for anyone to worry as I am healthy. Everyone please take precautions while working, maintain physical distance and wear masks compulsorily,” Yediyurappa said in a statement.
However, sources say that the CM did not come in contact with the staff members who tested positive. His self-quarantine is a precautionary measure considering his age. He will not appear in public for the next five days.
This is not the first time that staff members at the CM’s home office had tested positive for the virus. On June 19, the same office was shut for sanitisation after an employee's relative tested positive for coronavirus.
Later, on June 25, four staff members at BS Yediyurappa’s official residence Krishna tested positive for COVID-19.
Meanwhile, Karnataka on Friday recorded 2313 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total to 33418. There were aso 57 deaths, taking the toll to 543. Bengaluru continued to record the most number of cases, with 1447 people testing positive on Friday. This take the total to 15329.
In a bid to check the alarming surge of cases in Bengaluru, the government has appointed a minister and an IAS officer each to oversee the eight BBMP zones.
These ministers and officers will assess and review the situation daily in each zone and independently initiate steps to contain the spread of the virus in their area.
