Panic at PMC after a leader’s spouse tests +ve for virus

Office-bearer had attended an all-party meeting on Monday and was involved in activities requiring public interaction in her constituency

Alarm bells have been set off at Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) with the husband of a senior office bearer from the ruling party testing positive for COVID-19. The politician was part of an all-party meeting convened on Monday and also a lunch that followed the meeting. Bigger worry is that the lady was also involved in the grocery kit distribution in her constituency, as was her husband.

The husband, who was undergoing treatment at a private hospital, tested positive for the virus on Monday. Immediately, the politician was asked to quarantine herself and was also tested for COVID-19. “We immediately collected her swab and they’ve been sent to both a private lab and the National Institute of Virology (NIV). We will decide further course of action after the reports are obtained,” confirmed Ramchandra Hankare, health chief at PMC.

The leader has tested negative for the virus.

Needless to say the news has triggered a panic among the politicos, particularly those who attended the Monday meeting convened by the Mayor on the COVID-19 status and management in the city. Besides the Mayor, the meeting was attended by deputy mayor, standing committee chairman, leader of the house, most opposition party members as well as PMC commissioner, additional commissioner, heads of various departments of PMC.

The politicos also had lunch together subsequently. Considering this, all attendees have been asked to home-quarantine for now. The standing committee meet- ing scheduled on Tuesday was cancelled, with its chairman being sent to isolation. The politicians were also asked to desist from meeting their karyakartas. Offices of the politicians at PMC wore a deserted look on Tuesday.

“We are taking all the measures prescribed as basic precaution. Further steps will be decided pursuant to her reports coming in,” said a leader from Bharatiya Janata Party. But the worry among the leaders is evident. “I got to know about this on Tuesday morning. We even had lunch with her. Though I was sitting away from her, it remains a concern. If she turns out to be positive, we will have to figure our next move,” said another leader.

But a bigger worry before the civic body is that the leader in question had participated in ration kit distribution and other activities in her constituency. Her husband too was part of a few such activities.

However, health officials at the civic body are not willing to jump the gun yet. They say they will do contact tracing on the basis on the two-hour rule, targeting people in areas where she spent over two hours. The decision on testing the politicians will also be taken only after her reports come in, the officials said.