Tripura CM Biplab Deb’s wife and daughter test Covid-19 positive

AGARTALA: Two family members of Tripura chief minister Biplab Deb tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday, but his report was negative, the BJP leader said in a social media post on Tuesday.
“My Covid test results came negative. For the next seven days, I will follow home quarantine and other guidelines. Also, I will work from home. I thank the beloved people of Tripura for your wishes and prayers.The fight against Covid-19 will continue and together we shall win,” Deb said.
However, the report said the CM’s wife Niti Deb and daughter Shreya tested positive, but others, including his son and elderly mother were negative. A few days earlier, one of Deb’s security guards had tested positive, his niece, who had recently visited his residence also contracted the virus.
Since both CM’s wife and daughter are asymptomatic, they have been put under home quarantine, while entry to his residence has been restricted.
“Two of my family members found Covid-19 positive though others in the family were tested negative. I have undergone Covid test result is yet to come. I am following self-isolation at my residence and all precautionary measures have been taken,” the chief minister had said in a previous post.
Meanwhile, 9.56 lakh families have been covered under the state-wide Covid survey, in which 918 positive cases were detected in rapid antigen tests, out of about 75,000 samples, officials said on Tuesday. The state government started the survey to arrest the spread of Covid-19.
So far, 28 people have died of Covid-19, while the total number of cases in the state went up to 5,518 with 131 new cases in the past 24 hours. The state has 1,799 active cases.
“Except for a few villages, we have been able to get the household-level data related on Covid symptoms and travel history during the week-long survey that ended on Monday. As a result, a complete mapping of the Covid vulnerability has been done and now it is easier for us to keep a watch on people in some identified locations. During the survey, citizens, police, panchayat representatives and health workers are sensitised about family care during the pandemic,” said a senior health administrator.
He added that antigen test facilities have been extended to the villages and “sufficient kits have been provided for immediate testing, if someone complains of Covid-like symptoms”.
“We are hopeful that the exercise will help prevent further spread of the disease in the state,” he said.