Punjab minister Tript Bajwa’s wife, son test positive for Covid-19

Rural development minister undergoing treatment at Mohali hospital, while wife and son are asymptomatic and in home quarantine

Chandigarh: Two days after Punjab rural development minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, 77, tested positive for Covid-19, his wife and son were also found suffering from coronavirus disease on Thursday.

“The samples of Bajwa’s wife Rattneshwar Kaur and son were taken on Wednesday and today they tested positive,” Punjab’s nodal officer for Covid-19 Dr Rajesh Bhaskar said.

Both are asymptomatic and have been quarantined at home, it is learnt.

HAD CHAIRED MEETING WITH RURAL

DEPT DIRECTOR, WHO TESTED POSITIVE

On July 9, the minister had chaired a meeting of the rural development department where he had come in contact with its director Vipul Ujjwal, who tested positive on July 10. The next day, the minister underwent the RT-PCR test but was found Covid-negative.

However, on Tuesday, sources close to Bajwa said he complained of flu-like symptoms following which he was advised to get himself tested again.

A day after Bajwa tested positive, chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh and his ministerial colleagues Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Aruna Chaudhary also gave their samples. They tested negative.

Three Congress MLAs Parminder Pinki, Kulbir Zeera and Barindermeet Singh Pahra also gave their samples and tested negative.

EARLY DETECTION HOLDS KEY

During Wednesday’s cabinet meeting, Capt Amarinder Singh urged all ministers and officials to get themselves tested.

The chief minister said Bajwa, who is admitted in Fortis Hospital, Mohali, was doing well.

Capt Amarinder Singh said he had been calling upon people of Punjab to go for testing at the first sign of symptom or suspicion of Covid-19 infection. “Early detection is the way to beat the disease and check fatalities,” he added.