Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka has gone into isolation after a doctor at Victoria Hospital, where the minister had gone for a routine inspection, tested positive for coronavirus. R Ashoka is the primary contact of the unnamed doctor who tested positive. The minister had met him while he had gone to visit Victoria hospital in the last week of June for inspection while the doctor was on duty at the time.
Bangalore Mirror reported that the minister has gone into isolation along with several of his staff, who have been in close contact with the minister.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has also submitted his samples for a test since he had met the minister following R Ashoka’s visit to the hospital.
Several other healthcare professionals have been infected at Victoria Hospital, which is Bengaluru’s primary hospital for serious coronavirus patients. It was previously reported that nearly a dozen nurses and doctors from Victoria hospital have tested positive for coronavirus.
R Ashoka had been appointed as the COVID-19 minister in-charge after Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar went into quarantine after his family members tested positive for coronavirus. K Sudhakar has now resumed his duties in the government since Tuesday, June 30, as his test results came back as negative. TNM had previously reported that three of Sudhakar’s family members tested positive for coronavirus following contact with their household staff who had gotten infected.
It may be recalled that the unscheduled hospital visit had ruffled some feathers in the Karnataka government. The power struggle within the BJP is also something that the Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has been trying to manage, first by giving charge of Bengaluru’s COVID-19 battle to Dr K Sudhakar. This charge was then handed over to Karnataka Health minister B Sriramulu, who had also expressed unhappiness at R Ashoka taking charge of Bengaluru’s COVID-19 fight while K Sudhakar was away.