Rashtrapati Bhavan clarifies on staffer's kin testing coronavirus positive: Neither an employee nor a resident

In a statement, Rashtrapati Bhavan clarified that till date no employee of President's secretariat has tested positive for Covid-19 and the secretariat along with the local administration is taking all the preventive measures.

In view of speculations of a sanitation worker at Rashtrapati Bhavan tested positive for the coronavirus, the President's estate issued an official statement to clear the air regarding the detection of COVID-19 positive case.

The statement issued by Rashtrapati Bhavan read, "A COVID-19 positive patient from Central Delhi, who was neither an employee of the President's Secretariat nor a resident of the President's Estate expired on April 13 with co-morbidities at B L Kapoor Hospital, New Delhi."

They further clarified that till date no employee of President's Secretariat has tested positive for COVID-19 and the Secretariat along with the local administration is taking all the preventive measures required under the government guidelines.

Read the official Rashtrapati Bhavan statement:

A COVID 19 positive patient from Central Delhi, who was neither an employee of the President's Secretariat nor a resident of the President's Estate expired on 13.04.2020 with co-morbidities at B L Kapoor Hospital, New Delhi.
After contact tracing of the deceased, it was found that a family member of an employee of the President's Secretariat had been in contact with the deceased.
The employee along with the family is a resident of Pocket 1, Schedule A area of the President's Estate. As required under the guidelines, all the seven members of this family were moved to the quarantine facility at Mandir Marg on 16.04.2020.
Subsequently, one of the family members who were in contact with the deceased tested positive. All other family members including the employee of the President's Secretariat have tested negative.
Following the instructions and guidelines of the authority designated under the Disaster Management Act 2005, read with Epidemic Diseases Act 1897, 115 houses in Pocket 1, Schedule A area of the President's Estate were identified for movement restriction and residents have been advised to remain indoors. The residents of these houses are being provided doorstep delivery of essential commodities.
It may be clarified that till date no employee of President's Secretariat has tested positive for COVID-19 and the Secretariat along with the Local Administration is taking all the preventive measures required under the government guidelines.

What reports claimed?

Earlier, reports stated the family members of at least 25 houses in the Rashtrapati Bhavan premises have been asked to isolate themselves after sanitation working in Rashtrapati Bhavan tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

The individual has been sent to the quarantine centre in the nearby Birla Mandir complex. The people in the house where the corona-positive person was found, along with the families living in around 25 houses have also been asked to isolate themselves as a precautionary measure.

The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 590 and the number of cases climbed to 18,601 on Tuesday, according to the Union health ministry. In Delhi, the count of confirmed cases has topped 2,000-mark, second highest in the country after Maharashtra, along with 47 deaths.