MHA Issues Clarification That Amit Shah Has Not Underwent Any Tests

NEW DELHI: Just hours after BJP leader Manoj Tiwari tweeted claiming Home Minister Amit Shah had tested negative for COVID-19, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a clarification saying no test has been conducted so far on the minister.

Shah has tested for COVID-19 on Sunday, August 9, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari said on Twitter. "The COVID-19 test report of Amit Shah has come out to be negative," he tweeted in Hindi on Sunday.

Shah had tested positive for COVID-19 on August 2 and was admitted to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram on the advice of doctors.

Shah, 55, made the announcement on Twitter saying he got tested after showing initial symptoms of COVID-19. “On getting the initial symptoms of Covid-19, I got the test done and the report came positive. My health is fine, but I am being admitted to the hospital on the advice of doctors”, he said.

In the same tweet, he also advised and requested all those, who came in contact with him in the past few days, to get tested for the virus.

Shah was part of the last Cabinet meeting held at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence last week. However, it is said that all COVID-19 protocols were followed.

"There is a strict protocol at the PM's residence in the last few months. Temperature checks, Aarogya Setu checks, no use of internal cars to ferry people are some of the measures adopted," a news agency had reported citing a source. The source also stressed that most physical meetings are avoided and video conferences are, instead, preferred.

A day after Shah tested positive, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also went into home quarantine as he had met the home minister.