Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani goes into self-isolation

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani self-isolated himself Sunday after dozens of people at the presidential palace tested positive for coronavirus.

Initially 20 cases of infection were reported, but the Western media said the number had risen to 40. There has been no official reaction from the Afghan government or any report whether the president has contacted the infection.

The infected staff members have been sent into quarantine. According to the Johns Hopkins University's Coronavirus Resource Centre, Afghanistan has 993 coronavirus cases and 32 deaths.

Kabul has been in lockdown for three weeks since March 28, which has been extended by another two weeks.

Though the infection has remained low in the country, fears have been expressed that the virus may spread as more than 150,000 Afghans had returned from coronavirus hotspot Iran during March, and tens of thousands had returned from Pakistan.

The news about Ghani comes on a day when Indian ambassador to Afghanistan Vinay Kumar handed over a consignment of hydroxychloroquine and paracetamol tablets to Afghanistan's Acting Minister of Defense, General Asadullah Khalid for the security forces. Ambassador Kumar also handed over another consignment of tablets to Minister of Public Health Dr Ferozuddin Feroz for the Afghan people.

Earlier this week, India had also shipped a consignment of wheat though the Iranian port of Chabahar. (With agency inputs).