Manish Sisodia, Covid: Delhi has been witnessing a sudden surge in daily cases (File)
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who is among those leading the national capital's fight against the coronavirus pandemic, tested positive for the virus on Monday. The leader confirmed his infection in a tweet and said he was in self-isolation to prevent transmission of the illness.
"After suffering from mild fever, I took a coronavirus test and turned out to be positive. I have isolated myself. I don't have a fever or any other problem as of now, I am absolutely fine. With your prayers, I am sure I will return to work after regaining my health," he tweeted in Hindi.
Earlier today, Mr Sisodia, 48, skipped the one-day Delhi Assembly session because of the fever. "Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia will not attend today's session as he has fever since last night," Speaker Ram Niwas Goel had announced in the house.
Mr Sisodia, the most prominent minister in Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's cabinet, had been actively involved in Delhi's fight against the pandemic. He had been addressing virtual press briefings, inspecting Covid facilities and overseeing the management of the disease in the national capital for months, along with other ministers.
Last week, Mr Sisodia, who holds the education portfolio, had announced that schools can't increase their fees without the government's permission.
On Thursday, he had met representatives of hoteliers and restaurant owners of Delhi and had assured them of necessary help during these difficult times.
Before him, his cabinet colleague, health minister Satyendra Jain, had tested positive for the virus and recovered.
Delhi has been witnessing a sudden surge in daily cases in the last few days. On Monday, the national capital logged 3,229 new cases in a day after reporting over 4,000 cases daily for five days.
The national capital's total count has reached at 2,21,533 cases out of which over 28,600 are active.
The Delhi government has attributed the sudden rise in the Covid figures to the recent increase in testing.