Maharashtra Housing Minister Jitendra Awhad has been tested positive for the coronavirus or COVID-19 and was admitted to the Fortis hospital in Mulund on Tuesday night after he complained of fever and uneasiness.
The 54-year-old minister was taken to a hospital in Thane but was later shifted to Fortis hospital. Awhad had put himself under home quarantine along with 15 members of his family for a week after some of his security staff had tested positive for COVID-19.
Earlier, nearly 16 staff members working for Awhad were tested positive for the coronavirus. These people include kitchen staff, cleaning staff along with other members working at his residence including five policemen deployed there.
It is suspected that Jitendra Awhad, who represents the Mumba-Kalwa constituency, contracted the infection after he met a senior police inspector of the Mumbra police station earlier in April to discuss the rules and implementation of the lockdown.
The police officer was also tested positive last week when he was on leave at his native town in Nashik. Awhad had also put himself in home quarantine after citing that he has been in contact with at least one person tested positive for the coronavirus.
Maharashtra has become the worst-hit state in India and has crossed 6,000-mark with 6,430 COVID-19 cases while the number has increased to 4,205 in Mumbai which is 65 per cent of the total coronavirus in the state.
On Thursday, Mumbai witnessed a huge jump of 552 people testing positive for the coronavirus. The single-day spike for Mumbai was earlier seen on April 19 when 456 fresh COVID-19 cases were reported.
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