Bengaluru
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Dr CN Ashwath Narayan on Saturday tested positive for Covid-19.
"In anticipation of the upcoming Assembly sessions, I underwent a #COVID19 test on Saturday and my results have returned positive. I am asymptomatic and will be under home isolation," Narayan tweeted.
In the wake of the pandemic, Assembly Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri has made it mandatory for all those attending it to undergo RT-PCR test for Covid-19, 72 hours prior to the start of the monsoon session starting from September 21.
Ashwath Narayan is the latest in a growing list of ministers in the Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa cabinet, who have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Among those who tested positive earlier this week was Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Food and Civil Supplies Minister K Gopalaiah.
Earlier, Yediyurappa and his ministers including B Sriramulu, CT Ravi, BC Patil, Anand Singh, Byrathi Basavaraj, Prabhu Chavan, A Shivaram Hebbar, KS Eshwarappa and Shashikala Jolle had tested positive and have now recovered.
Meanwhile, Karnataka on Saturday recorded 8,364 new Covid-19 cases and 114 Covid-related fatalities. Bengaluru continued to record a high number of cases with 3,733 testing positive. There were 33 Covid-related casualties in the city.
While Mysuru recorded 626 new cases and 12 deaths, Ballari, Dakshina Kannada and Gadag reported over 300 cases.
Meanwhile, K’taka Cong MLA Priyank Kharge has also tested positive.