Officer, who went to Delhi with fruits for President & PM, found COVID-19 positive

An Agriculture Department officer, who earlier this month went to New Delhi with a consignment of fruits, mainly the luscious litchi of Muzaffarpur, to be gifted to the President, Vice-President, Prime Minister and other Union ministers, has tested COVID-19 positive after his return to Bihar.

This officer, who returned from the national capital on June 11, was found positive on June 20 after the mandatory tests. He has been admitted to the Covid Care Centre.

However, the Muzaffarpur district administration has clarified that the officer was primarily assigned the task to ensure that the fruit baskets, containing famous Shahi litchis of Muzaffarpur, reached Bihar Bhavan in New Delhi safely and timely. “He played no role in the distribution of fruits to the VVIPs in Delhi. It is the Bihar Bhavan officers in New Delhi who ensured distribution of fruits to the VVIPs concerned,” the Muzaffarpur District Magistrate, Chandrashekhar Prasad Singh said.

The Public Relations Department too reiterated that the officer had gone to New Delhi on June 9 with fruit baskets for VVIPs but had no role in its distribution. “He returned to Patna on June 11, but after nine days (of his return) was found unwell. After sample test on June 20, he was found COVID-19 positive,” said another official, adding that “the officer has been sent to the Covid Care Centre.”

Meanwhile, with fresh 99 COVID-19 cases reported in Bihar on Sunday, the number of those who tested positive in the state has gone up to 7602.