NITI Aayog building sealed for 48 hours after staffer tests coronavirus COVID-19 positive, colleagues asked to quarantine

NEW DELHI: The NITI Aayog building in the national capital was sealed for 48 hours after a director-level officer tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday. A director-level officer working at NITI Bhawan has been tested positive for COVID-19. Today at 9 am, he got his report, and then he informed authorities," Alok Kumar, an adviser at NITI Aayog, said on Tuesday.

He further said that those who came in contact with the person have been asked to go on self-quarantine.

"We are following necessary protocol and the health ministry has been informed and all the due processes will be followed. So, we are closed for 48 hours," Kumar added.
The NITI Aayog took to Twitter and informed that its building is undergoing disinfection and sanitisation after an official tested COVID-19 positive.

An employee working at NITI Bhavan has been detected positive with COVID-19. It was informed to the authorities at 9 am this morning. NITI Aayog is following all the due protocols necessary as per the Ministry of Health guidelines. The building has been sealed. — NITI Aayog (@NITIAayog) April 28, 2020

Recently, the Aviation Ministry headquarters was also sealed after one of its employees who had attended office on April 15, tested positive for COVID-19. 

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said that “no fresh case of coronavirus infection was reported in 80 districts in the last 7 days.” During an interaction via video conferencing, the Health Minister said, “In 47 districts, no case has been reported in the last 14 days, while 39 districts have not reported a case for the last 21 days. 17 districts have not reported a case for the last 28 days.’’

Dr Harsh Vardhan further stated that the coronavirus doubling rate has also come down in the past week.

“For the last 14 days, our doubling rate is 8.7, while for the last 7 days, it is 10.2 days. In the last 3 days, it is 10.9 days roughly,’’ The Union Health Minister said. He made this remark while interacting with the autonomous Institute of Department of Biotechnology, through video conferencing.

Union Health Minister also later reviewed the current status of COVID19 surveillance in Delhi with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain, and other top officials of concerned departments through video conferencing.

With 1,543 more COVID-19 cases reported in the last 24 hours, India`s tally of coronavirus cases reached 29,435, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Tuesday.

The tally includes 21,632 patients who are active cases, 6,868 patients have been cured/discharged with one patient migrated. With 62 more deaths reported in the last 24 hours, making it the sharpest rise in the number of deaths so far, the number of deaths due to coronavirus stands at 934.