Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday announced on Twitter that he had tested positive for COVID-19 . He has been admitted to Chirayu Hospital, a private COVID-19 facility, for treatment.
In a post, 61-year-old Mr. Chouhan wrote, “My beloved residents of the State, I was having COVID-19 symptoms, and after a test my report has come out to be positive.” He appealed to those who came in contact with him to get themselves tested, and his close contacts to go into quarantine.
“All required tests have been carried out. His condition is normal,” said Ajay Goenka of Chirayu Medical College and Hospital.
BJP State media in-charge Lokendra Parashar said Mr. Chouhan would be admitted to Chirayu hospital, a private COVID-19 facility, for treatment.
An MLA from Budhni, Mr. Chouhan is the seventh legislator from the State — six from the BJP and one from the Congress — to have contracted the illness so far. On Wednesday, Minister Arvind Singh Bhadoria had tested positive hours after he attended a Cabinet meeting. A day before, he accompanied Mr. Chouhan to Lucknow to pay his last respects to Governor Lalji Tandon. Earlier, Rajya Sabha MP Jyotiraditya Scindia had also contracted the illness .
Mr. Chouhan further said he was following all COVID-19 guidelines. “Based on the doctor’s advice, I will quarantine myself. My appeal to the State’s people is to be cautious. Even little negligence is like inviting corona. I made all possible efforts to keep corona at bay, but people met me on several subjects.”
Despite being in the Cabinet meeting where Mr. Bhadoria was present, Mr. Chouhan held one-on-one meetings with at least 17 Ministers, including Health Minister Prabhuram Choudhary, on Thursday. A day before, he met six Ministers similarly, the Chief Minister’s office said. On Thursday evening, he attended a function at the BJP State office here where former Congress MLA Narayan Patel switched over.
“When there is timely treatment for COVID-19, the person recovers completely,” Mr. Chouhan said on Twitter. “I have been reviewing the COVID-19 situation every evening since March 25. If possible, I will try to review the situation through video conferencing.”
In Mr. Chouhan’s absence, the regular meetings would be attended by Home Minister Narottam Mishra, Urban Development and Administration Minister Bhupendra Singh, Medical Education Minister Vishvas Sarang and Mr. Choudhary. “During my treatment, I will make all efforts to contain COVID-19 in the State,” said Mr. Chouhan.
Hoping for his speedy recovery, former Chief Minister Kamal Nath tweeted: “The only regret is that when we were serious about COVID-19, then sometimes you called it drama, and other times a tool to protect the regime. We were saying from the start this is a serious disease. There is a need to be cautious, follow its protocols.” If Mr. Chouhan had been cautious, claimed Mr. Nath, “and followed the protocols and guidelines, didn’t take it as a joke, then probably you would have been saved from it.”
Expressing sadness over his contracting the illness, Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh said he should have taken care about social distancing which he didn’t. “The Bhopal police had registered an FIR against me, but how would they have acted against you. Take care in the future.”
After taking oath as the Chief Minister on March 23, Mr. Chouhan ran a single-man Cabinet for around 100 days, being the Health Minister as well, before five other Ministers were appointed.
