COVID-19: 5 ministers undergoing test after coming in contact with journalist who tested positive

Bengaluru, Apr 29: Five Karnataka ministers are undergoing tests for coronavirus infection after they reportedly came in contact with the video journalist of a Kannada news channel who tested positive for COVID-19 last week, a senior minister said on Wednesday.

"As far as our journalist friend who has supposedly met five ministers is concerned- the ministers are also getting tested and one of them said, he had tested negative," Minister S Suresh Kumar, who is spokesperson for COVID-19 in Karnataka, told reporters.

However, reports allege that the ministers had flouted mandated quarantining and are going about with routine work.

The journalist, who had visited containment zones demarcated by BBMP (city civic body), was confirmed positive on April 24.

As per the 34-year-old patient's (video journalist's) flowchart, he had met five ministers on work, between April 21 and April 24. Though, he had also visited Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa's Home office "Krishna" multiple times during this period, according to officials, he had not met the CM.

On April 23, he had given his swab samples along with other journalists for testing, and was confirmed positive the next day. At least 40 other contacts of the video journalist, including his family and journalists from various media outlets have been quarantined, sources said.