Coronavirus: Uttarakhand tourism minister's family readmitted hours after being discharged

 Uttarakhand tourism minister Satpal Maharaj, his wife Amrita Rawat and 21 others, including members of his family and staff, had tested positive for coronavirus  

Dehradun: Five COVID-19 positive family members of Uttarakhand tourism minister Satpal Maharaj were readmitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Rishikesh within hours of being discharged from the facility.

Satpal Maharaj's two sons, their wives and a one-and-a-half-year-old grandson were discharged from the hospital on Monday evening to be home quarantined as they were asymptomatic, but they had to be readmitted at their own request only two hours later, AIIMS, Rishikesh PRO Harish Thapliyal said.

While discharging them, the hospital administration had said it was in accordance with the Centre's guidelines which permit home quarantine of asymptomatic COVID-19 patients.

Satpal Maharaj, his wife and 21 other people, family members, staff and his followers staying in the same household, have tested positive for the disease. 

The novel coronavirus death toll rose to 5,598 in India on Tuesday with 204 more fatalities, while 8,171 new cases took the number of infections to 1,98,706, the health ministry said.

The active cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) climbed to 97,581 and as many as 95,526 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, according to the data.