N Biren Singh asked everyone who came in contact with him to get tested
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh today said that he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Mr Singh shared the news on his Twitter account earlier today.
He also asked everyone who came in contact with him to get tested.
"I have tested positive for COVID-19. I request all those who came in close contact with me recently, to self isolate and get tested," the 59-year-old BJP leader tweeted.
The chief minister is undergoing home isolation, a health department official told news agency PTI.
A number of union ministers have contracted the virus that has affected over 88 lakh people in India. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had tested positive and then later cured of COVID-19. Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had also tested positive for the virus and was hospitalised for a while.
Other ministers who had tested positive include Nitin Gadkari, Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Ayush Minister Shirpad Naik, junior agriculture minister Kailash Choudhary, junior minister for heavy industries and parliamentary affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal and petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan among others. A number of MLAs and MPs across the country have also tested positive.
Coronavirus cases in India now stands at 88.14 lakh with a jump of 41,100 cases in the last 24 hours, government data showed today. 447 deaths in the last 24 hours have pushed the total fatality count to 1,29,635.
India has been reporting a steady decline in its daily coronavirus infections after reaching a peak of about 90,000 cases a day in September. The country has the world's second-highest coronavirus infection count after the US.