Indian politician in self-isolation after Saudi visit

MUMBAI: A lawmaker from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Suresh Prabhu isolated himself at his residence for the next 14 days following his return from Saudi Arabia, news agency ANI reported on Wednesday.

The former civil aviation minister was visiting the country to attend the second G20 Sherpas’ meeting on March 11 in Khobar.

The BJP MP has taken the precautionary measure even after he was tested negative for the disease, Indian Express reported.

On Tuesday, Union Minister V Muraleedharan had gone into self-quarantine at his official residence in Delhi after he came into contact with a doctor who later tested positive for coronavirus at a meeting in Thiruvananthapuram.

The Minister of State for External Affairs has also tested negative for coronavirus.

India reported its third coronavirus-linked death from Maharashtra on Tuesday after a 63-year-old man, who tested positive, passed away at Kasturba Hospital. The man had returned from Dubai. Earlier, a 76-year-old man from Kalaburagi in Karnataka with a travel history to Saudi Arabia and a 68-year-old woman in Delhi died after they tested positive for the infection.

The total number of positive cases in India has spiked to 147 on Wednesday. The global toll, however, has crossed 7,500, with nearly 200,000 people infected.