16 at Raj Bhavan test positive; Guv says not in self-isolation

Reuters

Sixteen personnel at the Raj Bhavan in south Mumbai have tested coronavirus positive, a civic official said on Sunday.

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari denied reports that he is in self-isolation, a Raj Bhavan official said.

"I am perfectly alright, and not in self-isolation. I underwentrelevant tests, the result of which came negative. There are no symptoms of COVID-19 either," Koshyari said in a statement.

He said he was discharging his duty by strictly adhering to coronavirus protocols like social distancing and wearing a mask.

The staffers at Raj Bhavan who tested positive have been quarantined in their residential premises at Raj Bhavan itself, the official said.

If the Raj Bhavan administration asks for an institutional quarantine, the civic body would shift them to the quarantine facility, the official said.

BMC's D ward has sanitized and disinfected Raj Bhavan premises from time to time, he said. "If required, the BMC would make available its medical staff to assist doctors and medical staff at Raj Bhavan," the official said.

He said two persons at Raj Bhavan recently tested positive and the Mumbai municipal corporation asked other staff to get themselves tested.

Accordingly, 100 staffers were tested in which reports of 14 persons came out positive. This takes the total number of positive cases at Raj Bhavan to 16, the official said.

Among those who tested positive are senior staff members at Raj Bhavan, sources there said.

Maharashtra, India's worst-hit state, registered a record single-day jump of 8,139 new cases on Saturday, taking the state's tally to 2,46,600 positive cases.