Ranchi, July 11: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, whose samples were taken for COVID-19 testing earlier today, was found negative for the contagious disease. The test results were released within few hours after his samples were taken to the state-run lab. Along with Soren, his wife's samples were also collected. Soren Places Himself Under Home Quarantine After Cabinet Colleague Tests Positive for COVID-19.

The Jharkhand CM decided to undertake the COVID-19 test after it was found that his Cabinet colleague Mithilesh Thakur and MLA Mathura Mahato tested positive for coronavirus.

After their test results came on Wednesday, Soren announced that he would self-quarantine himself at his residence for two weeks.

Update by ANI

Apart from Soren, the samples of CM's security adviser Abhishek Prasad and senior emergency secretary Sunil Srivastava were also collected for examination, said an employee of the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).

Jharkhand is one of the less-affected states in India due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The state has so far recorded 3,518 coronavirus cases, even as the nationwide tally has crossed 8.2 lakhs.

According to Soren, the number of tests must go up in the state, adding that the government would encourage people to undertake the tests as it would minimise the rate of transmission and reduce fatalities due to the disease.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 11, 2020 05:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).