Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, 61, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, it was confirmed on Saturday afternoon. He has been admitted to the Chirayu Hospital in the state capital Bhopal.
The Chief Minister wrote on Twitter, "My dear countrymen, I was seeing symptoms of COVID-19 and after a test, my report came back positive.
He appealed to colleagues and individuals to take all possible precautions to avoid infection and urged those coming in contact to get them tested.
Chauhan said, "I appeal to the people of my state to be careful. Just a little carelessness invites Coronavirus. I made every effort to avoid the virus, but people used to meet me on many topics."
Close contact with the chief minister, who was scheduled to hold the meeting at 11.30 am, has been omitted. In his absence, Mr. Chauhan wrote, Home Minister Narottam Mishra, Health Minister Vishvas Sarang, and others will lead the meeting.
Mr. Mishra, who had close contact with the Chief Minister, will also be tested for the virus.
The news of Mr. Chauhan's positive test came two days after his minister Arvind Singh Bhadoria said he was infected. Mr. Bhadoria was among the ministers at Wednesday's cabinet meeting, which was chaired by the Chief Minister.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister assured supporters that there is no need to panic and will continue to lead efforts to curb the virus in his state despite his medical condition.
He said that there is no need to panic, if coronavirus is treated on time, it is treatable.
Saying, "I have been reviewing the status of coronavirus infection every evening since 25 March. I will try to review it as much as possible through video conferencing."
Former Chief Minister Kamal Nath tweeted: "I pray to God for his recovery soon."
Another former Chief Minister Uma Bharti said that she was praying for the recovery of both Mr. Chauhan and Mr. Bhadoria. "I pray that they get well soon. May all be well. This disease can leave our planet," she said.
Mr. Chauhan and Mr. Bhadoria attended the funeral of Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon, who died on July 21 at a hospital in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
So far, more than 26,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported in Madhya Pradesh, including 791 deaths related to the virus. The number of active cases in the state is more than 7,500.
The number of coronavirus cases in India has crossed 13.36 lakh, with more than 4.56 lakh active cases and 31,358 deaths related to the virus.
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