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Ram Janmabhoomi Trust Head, Who Shared Stage With Modi On Aug 5, Tests Positive For COVID-19

The news was confirmed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Modi with Mahant Nitiya Gopaldas at the groundbreaking ceremony for Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on Aug 5.
Screenshot
Modi with Mahant Nitiya Gopaldas at the groundbreaking ceremony for Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on Aug 5.

Head of the Ram Mandir trust Mahant Nitiya Gopaldas, who was on stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya last week, has tested positive for COVID-19.

The news was confirmed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The chief minister spoke to the Mathura district magistrate and requested for immediate medical attention in this regard, the Indian Express reported.

Adityanath, UP Governor Anandiben Patel and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has also shared the stage with Modi and Gopaldas at the August 5 event.

Hindustan Times had reported that the prime minister’s security cover in Ayodhya was made up of 150 personnel who had recovered from the novel coronavirus. They were to form the first layer of protection. A larger security detail would include 400 additional personnel who had tested negative for Covid-19 in the previous 48 hours and then been isolated.

”We are confident now that no one will be infected because we have tested anyone who will come within eight feet of a VIP,” district magistrate Anuj Jha, a member of the temple trust, told HT’s Sunetra Choudhury

He also said, ”Everyone will wear a mask, everyone will maintain social distancing and it’s going to be fine,” he said.

Days before the event, the head priest in Ayodhya and 14 UP policemen had tested positive for coronavirus.

An Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister had died from the disease on August 2 while Union home minister Amit Shah and UP’s state BJP president had tested positive for COVID-19 the same day.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.