Chief minister Hemant Soren and six of his cabinet colleagues quarantined themselves at home on Wednesday, the day after health minister Banna Gupta tested positive for Covid-19, health officials said.

All the seven of them had attended a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday when Gupta was also present. “The ministers who attended the Cabinet meeting have been quarantined at home. The due procedure as per the set protocol will be followed hereon,” said state health secretary Nitin Madan Kulkarni.

Rural development minister Alamgir Alam, transport minister Champai Soren, finance minister Rameshwar Oraon, labour minister Satyanand Bhokta, women and child welfare minister Joba Manjhi, health minister Banna Gupta and the chief minister had attended Tuesday’s cabinet meeting. State drinking water and sanitation minister Mithilesh Thakur, who was the first minister in Jharkhand to get infected by the SARS-COV-2 virus, did not attend the meeting.

Gupta’s Covid test reports arrived on Tuesday night, and it is being assumed he was already infected when he attended the cabinet meeting, sources close to the minister said. Other staff and officials of the state cabinet have also come under the Covid scanner since the development, health officials said. Last month, the state cabinet secretary was also found infected by the coronavirus.

Hemant is likely to be tested for Covid-19 for the third time, sources in the chief minister’s office (CMO) said. He was tested for the first time in July after his cabinet colleague Mithilesh Thakur was found infected. In August, the CM got tested again after several staff members in his office tested positive for Covid-19.

As per the SOP, all the ministers who came in contact with Gupta should be tested. However, health officials in Ranchi are yet to get any directive from the authorities regarding Covid test of the ministers. Ranchi civil surgeon Dr. V.B. Prasad said that a team of health workers was ready to test the ministers and their kin, but they were yet to get a go-ahead from senior health officials.

Besides Gupta, former deputy chief minister Sudesh Mahto also tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday. Mahto, a Silli legislator, is the president of AJSU Party.

At least three legislators and two ministers have been infected by the virus in Jharkhand so far. JMM’s Tundi legislator Mathura Mahto and BJP’s Ranchi MLA C.P Singh tested positive in July,

Several members of the political fraternity in Jharkhand have also been under the Covid scanner. RJD chief Lalu Prasad, undergoing treatment at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), was tested for Covid-19 last month. Besides, BJP legislature party leader Babulal Marandi was quarantined for 14 days after returning from New Delhi.