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HomeIndiaSkill ministry employee claims his mother is COVID 19-positive, later says it...

Skill ministry employee claims his mother is COVID 19-positive, later says it was a rumour

The skill ministry is investigating a contractual employee's claims that his mother tested positive for coronavirus but later said his family was fine.

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New Delhi: The Ministry of Skill Development And Entrepreneurship (MSDE) faced several tense hours Wednesday after an employee claimed his mother had tested positive for COVID-19. However, by day’s end, it appeared the claim was not true with the family stating they were all healthy.

The employee works on the third floor of the Shram Shakti Bhawan where the office of Union Skill Development Minister Mahendranath Pandey is located. The ministry said it sanitised the whole floor and is investigating the matter.

The ministry held a high-level meeting and later issued a statement saying it was taking all precautions.

“A contractual employee of the Ministry has claimed that his mother has been detected with positive COVID-19. The concerned individual along with others who he interacted with, have been asked to self-quarantine themselves at their residence. Their health will be closely watched for further symptoms,” it said.

“Further advice from health ministry has been sought. MSDE continues to follow the advisory of Ministry of Health on precautionary measures to be taken for the purpose of social distancing, including usage of sanitizers and thermal temperature check,” it added.

The skill ministry also sent a medical team to the employee’s locality to check and sanitise the area.


Also read: From Kashmir to coronavirus, how Modi’s silver bullet Jaishankar is keeping troubles away


‘Just a rumour’

ThePrint spoke to the employee, who said both his mother and he were doing well. “There’s nothing to worry about. It was just a rumour … I have not deliberately spread the rumour. It was not my intention to create panic.”

However, another employee that ThePrint spoke to said the man had informed people that his mother was a coronavirus patient. “From the morning itself, he was telling people that everyone should stay away from him because his mother tested positive of COVID 19. In fact, some senior officials called him and he confirmed the news. By afternoon, everyone was in panic. Maybe he wanted to take leave.”

The ministry contacted the employee’s father, also a government employee who works in Nirman Bhawan, who said that his family will tell the government if any of them tested positive and cooperate with the health ministry. “My wife is fine,” he apparently said, according to the ministry spokesperson.


Also read: Why healthcare workers are more at risk from COVID-19 and how hospitals are protecting them


 

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