Odisha Minister Samir Ranjan Dash, His Wife Test Positive For COVID-19

The number of Odisha ministers infected with coronavirus has increased to seven while 22 MLAs and 3 MPs in the state have also been infected with the disease.

Bhubaneswar:

Odisha's School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash today said he and his wife have tested positive for COVID-19.

The number of Odisha ministers infected with coronavirus has increased to seven while 22 MLAs and 3 MPs in the state have also been infected with the disease.

"Me and my wife Sangeeta Dash have tested positive to COVID-19. We are stable and urge all those who come in contact with us in the last seven days, get their COVID test done," Mr Dash said in a twitter post in Odia language.

Earlier in the day, BJP state president Samir Mohanty had also said that he has tested positive for coronavirus and has been hospitalised as per the advice of the doctors.

Mr Mohanty has been admitted at the AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, party sources said, adding that earlier BJP Lok Sabha MP from Bargarh Suresh Pujari and Nilgiri MLA Sukanta Kumar Nayak, had tested positive for the infection.

The other Odisha ministers who have tested positive for COVID-19 earlier are: Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain, Women and Child Development (WCD) and Mission Shakti Minister Tukuni Sahu, Tourism Minister Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi, Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts Minister Padmini Dian, Higher Education and Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment Minister Arun Kumar Sahoo and Rural Development and Labour Minister Susanta Singh.

About a dozen ruling BJD leaders have also tested positive for COVID-19, party sources said.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has spoken to all the ministers and MLAs infected with COVID-19 and wished them speedy recovery.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)