Four staff members of Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa’s official residence Krishna, tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Thursday.
Three security personnel including two police constables and one fire and emergency service personnel tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The fourth person is an electrician, who is part of the maintenance staff.
Health Department officials said that the four staffers had last come to work at Krishna over a week ago and had not come into contact with anyone, who came directly into contact with Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. “These people worked on shift basis and did not come into contact with the CM at the time they were deployed for duty in Krishna,” the official added. Yediyurappa and his family members, however, live in their home at Dollar's Colony in Bengaluru and the Chief Minister uses Krishna only for official purposes.
Swab samples of all staff members at Krishna were taken on Tuesday after a woman constable’s husband tested positive for the virus on June 19. The results came back on Thursday after which the four staff members were sent to isolation. The Chief Minister’s official residence was shut earlier on Monday for sanitisation as a precautionary measure.
Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, was slated to hold a meeting at Krishna at 1 pm on Thursday along with Additional Chief Secretary of the Health Department Jawaid Akthar, members of the expert committee for COVID-19 and several ministers to discuss whether another lockdown should be imposed. However, the meeting was pushed to 3 pm and the venue was shifted to Vidhana Soudha after the staffers tested positive, a spokesperson from the Chief Minister’s Office said.
Soon after the woman constable’s husband tested positive for the coronavirus on June 19, BS Yediyurappa had decided to hold all meetings at Vidhana Soudha instead of Krishna until the sanitisation process was complete. However, sources with the CMO said that Yediyurappa will now hold meetings at Vidhana Soudha either in the meeting room 313 or the conference room 332 henceforth until Krishna is once again sanitised.
On June 18, a staff member at the Food and Civil Supplies Department in Karnataka's Secretariat Vikasa Soudha tested positive for the virus. The building was shut the day after for sanitisation.