Delhi CM Kejriwal tests Covid-positive: In isolation, symptoms mild

The AAP chief has undertaken several trips to poll-bound states Uttarakhand and Punjab to campaign for his party. On Monday, he addressed AAP’s ‘Nav Parivartan Yatra’ at Parade Ground in Dehradun

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday announced on Twitter that he has tested positive for Covid-19, and that he was isolating at home since he has mild symptoms.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal addressing public rally in Dehradun on Monday. (ANI)

“I have tested positive for Covid. Mild symptoms. Have isolated myself at home. Those who came in touch wid (with) me in last few days, kindly isolate urself (yourself) and get urself tested,” Kejriwal posted at 8.11am.

The AAP chief has undertaken several trips to poll-bound states Uttarakhand and Punjab to campaign for his party. On Monday, he addressed AAP’s ‘Nav Parivartan Yatra’ at Parade Ground in Dehradun.

Amit Rawat, media coordinator for AAP in Uttarakhand, said after Kejriwal announced that he tested positive, nearly 20 state leaders who shared stage with him or met him during or before the rally have been isolating at home. “Col Ajay Kothiyal (retd) (AAP’s chief ministerial candidate) has got a Covid test done, and others are getting it too,” he said.

Sanjay Bhatt, spokesperson of Uttarkhand AAP, said all leaders and party cadres who came into close contact with Kejriwal on Monday have been asked to get tested and isolate themselves.

Suryakant Dhasmana, vice president of Uttarakhand Congress, slammed Kejriwal for being a part of the rally, and for not wearing a mask. “Despite coming from Delhi which is witnessing a spike in Covid cases, he (Kejriwal) didn’t wear a mask on the stage. That was highly irresponsible of a senior leader like him,” he said.

Between December 30 and January 1, Kejriwal was in Chandigarh and Punjab. He led a “victory march” atop a crowded truck along with AAP’s Punjab unit president Bhagwant Mann, state affairs co-in-charge Raghav Chadha, Chandigarh AAP president Prem Garg, and party’s 14 newly elected councillors. The road show was joined by about 5,000 party supporters.

The Delhi chief minister later held a closed-door meeting with the councillors. Kejriwal and Mann also held a “peace march” in Patiala, which was attended by a large number of party workers and leaders. Before the march, Kejriwal and others laid wreaths at the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi. The Delhi CM also paid obeisance at Kali Devi Temple and Gurdwara Dukhniwaran along with workers.

Senior AAP leader Balbir Singh, who is also the AAP candidate from Patiala Rural, said they have appealed to people to follow Covid protocols but there was heavy rush and some of them may not have adhered to norms. “We always ask people to maintain social distancing and wear masks,” he said, adding that those who attended a party gathering on New Year’s Eve have been asked to get tested.

In April last year, Kejriwal’s wife Sunita tested positive for Covid-19, after which the chief minister isolated himself.

Delhi has been witnessing a surge in Covid-19 infection on the back of the new coronavirus variant Omicron. Omicron is now the dominant variant in the capital, as 81% of the samples sent for genome sequencing found evidence of the heavily mutated virus, Delhi’s health minister Satyendar Jain told the state assembly on Monday.