Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Tests COVID Positive, Says Experiencing Mild Symptoms

Arvind Kejriwal tests COVID positive: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has tested positive for COVID-19. The news was shared by Kejriwal himself on social media, on January 4.

The news comes amidst rising cases of COVID-19 and Omicron- a new coronavirus variant, across the nation, with Delhi accounting for a large number of cases on both fronts. On Monday, the state's health minister Satyendar Jain had said that 81 percent of all COVID-19 samples tested for December 30 and 31 came back positive for Omicron. On the same day, it was revealed that Delhi had recorded as many as 4,000 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours.

There is no information as of yet regarding which variant has the Delhi CM been infected with. In his tweet on Tuesday, he wrote, "I have tested positive for Covid. Mild symptoms. Have isolated myself at home." He further requested those who came in touch with him in the last few days to isolate and get tested.

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On January 1, it was reported that as many as ten state cabinet ministers and 20 members of the Legislative Assembly in Maharashtra have tested positive for COVID-19. The news was shared by the state's Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. "We cut short the Assembly session recently. So far, over 10 ministers and over 20 MLAs have tested positive for coronavirus. Everybody wants to be part of the celebrations of New Year, birthdays and other occasions. Keep in mind that the new variant (Omicron) spreads fast and hence caution is needed," he said.

Maharashtra is currently reporting the highest number of COVID-19 and omicron cases across the country. On Tuesday, the state added 12,160 new cases to its tally, that were recorded in the last 24 hours. 68 cases of Omicron were recorded on the same day, out of which 40 came from the city of Mumbai alone. Due to the surge in cases in the state capital, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has announced that BMC -run schools in the city will remain close for classes one to nine and class 11, till January 31.

Many states including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Telangana have closed schools for children due to concerns over the rising number of COVID cases.