E-Paper
HP minister Suresh Bhardwaj among 60 test positive for Covid
His wife has also tested positive for the virus.
Himachal Pradesh urban development minister Suresh Bhardwaj was among the 282 persons who tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday, a health official said.
With the new infections, the state’s overall case count stands at 16,565.
Bhardwaj is the third Himachal minister to have contracted the virus. His wife has also tested positive for the virus.
In a statement issued here, Bhardwaj said that he has self-isolated on October 2.
He said that his elder son tested negative while the younger one tested positive on October 5.
Bhardwaj said that the doctor had advised him to self-isolate after his younger son had tested Covid-19 positive. The doctor also asked him to get tested in case any symptoms appear.
Earlier, power minister Sukhram Chaudhary and jal shakti minister Mahender Singh Thakur had tested positive for Covid-19. Both the ministers have recovered from the virus.
Of the new cases, 66 in Mandi, 55 were reported in Solan, 47 in Kangra, 31 in Shimla, 24 in Bilaspur, 17 in Kullu, 13 in Chamba, 10 in Una, 6 in Hamirpur and five in Kinnaur.
Among the infected 36 were Himachal Pradesh police jawans including trainees from Police Training College, Daroh.
The death toll has mounted to 226 as two more people succumbed to the infection. One fatality each has been recorded in Mandi and Kullu.
Active cases have come down to 2,996 as 418 more people were discharged today, taking the number of cured to 13,316.
Solan is the worst-hit district with a maximum of 3,244 cases, followed by Kangra where 2,512 people have been infected to date. Mandi has 1,946 cases, Sirmaur 1,927, Shimla 1,516, Una 1,386, Hamirpur 985, Bilaspur 944, Chamba 932, Kullu 791, Kinnaur 206, and Lahaul-Spiti 176.
