Kanika Kapoor, who has tested positive for COVID-19, denies rumours of dodging airport screening; FIR lodged against her for not following quarantine procedure
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; March 21, 2020)

On Friday afternoon, reports emerged that Kanika Kapoor had tested positive for Coronavirus (COVID-19). Soon after, Twitter was abuzz with users slamming the singer, who showed disregard for self-quarantine rules imposed by the government and attended a party in Lucknow two days after her return from London.

When mid-day reached out to Kapoor late afternoon, she had been isolated in the PGI Hospital in Lucknow. Tracing her steps back to March 10 when she landed in Mumbai, the singer rubbished rumours of hiding in a bathroom to skip the mandatory airport screening. "I didn't run away from the airport, nor did I hide in a bathroom. Like everyone else, I was screened at the Mumbai airport after my arrival from London, and was absolutely fine. So, the next day, I flew to Lucknow to stay with my parents."

On March 13, the Baby doll singer attended a party hosted by an interior designer, thus flouting the compulsory 14-day self-quarantine procedure. On her part, she said it was not a big bash attended by 100-odd people as is being reported. "It was a small get-together with 15-20 odd guests, and I did not throw any party at a five-star hotel. These are all baseless rumours." In contrast, the singer's father reportedly stated that she attended three parties during her Lucknow stay.

It is known that the virus has an incubation period of two to 14 days, thus making it difficult to diagnose at the early stages. Kapoor says she displayed symptoms a week after landing in Mumbai. "I had mild temperature and cough on Tuesday [March 17]. When I called the helpline and the CM's [Yogi Adityanath] office, I was told that there is no need for a test, and I should call back if the symptoms aggravate. I was in self-quarantine [till yesterday]."

Late last evening, an FIR was filed against her for violating the norms of self-isolation.

The Ripple Effect
Vasundhara Raje, former Rajasthan chief minister, took to Twitter to inform that she and son BJP MP Dushyant Singh were going into self-quarantine as they had attended the Lucknow party that also had Kapoor in attendance. "As a matter of abundant caution, my son and I have immediately self-quarantined and we're taking all necessary precautions," she wrote.