India’s top bureaucrats hit by coronavirus as cases spike

NEW DELHI: A top Indian civilian defence official has tested positive for coronavirus and is in home quarantine, government officials said on Thursday, as the daily rise in infections hits a new high.

India’s cases reached 216,919 after 9,304 new cases were reported over the previous day, the health ministry said. The densely packed cities of Delhi and Mumbai are seeing a spike in infections as the government lifts a lockdown imposed in March.

India has reported 6,075 deaths due to the virus.Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar is the highest ranking official to have tested positive for the virus that has also affected officials in the finance, foreign and law ministries based in a sprawling set of buildings in central Delhi.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, leading the response to an ongoing military standoff with China at their disputed Himalayan border, worked from home after Kumar’s test results came back positive, a defence source said.It was not immediately clear if Singh had undergone a test. At least four finance ministry employees have been infected.