Mumbai, April 13: Maharashtra Housing Minister and NCP leader Jitendra Awhad on Monday went into home quarantine as a precautionary measure.  According to reports, Awhad  took the decision after a close aide turned out to be coronavirus positive. According to a tweet by Times Now, the Minister quarantined himself at home after coming in contact with a COVID-19 positive cop. Reports inform that Ahwad also underwent a COVID-19 test through a government hospital, which turned out to be negative as he heaved a sigh of relief.

In Maharashtra, the total number of coronavirus infected patients rose to 2064 with Mumbai being the worst-hit. The state Health Department stated that 82 new COVID-19 cases including 59 cases in Mumbai were reported in the state today.

In the last week, Awhad took a dig at the Centre over over its order asking states to buy PPE kits, ventilators and other equipment to combat the coronavirus outbreak through it and not independently. He said the order puts the lives of COVID-19 patients at risk as it would slow down procurement of medical items. Coronavirus Cases in India Soar to 9152, Death Toll Due to COVID-19 Rises to 308, Total 857 Recovered So Far.

Here's the tweet:

Earlier this month, Awhad, who represents Mumbra-Kalwa assembly constituency in Thane district, had said the Tablighi Jamaat event held in Delhi last month was allowed by the Union Home Ministry headed by Amit Shah and not by the Delhi Police.

In India, the total number of coronavirus cases in the country surged past 9,000 and stood at 9,152 on Monday. The death count in the country due to COVID-19 reached to 308, the Union Ministry of Health and Family welfare said. Meanwhile, the global coronavirus death toll increased to 114,245 on Monday, according to data compiled by the Washington-based Johns Hopkins University.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 13, 2020 11:20 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).