Following the reporting of COVID-19 infection and the grounds of spread among the state legislators and senior ministers in Tamil Nadu, the state has, on Wednesday, reported that one of its collectors has tested positive for the viral infection. 

According to the reports, Coimbatore district collector K Rajamani has confirmed to have contracted to the viral infection on Wednesday, becoming the first bureaucrat in the state to spell positive for the pandemic. Rajamani has been getting treated at the private hospital in Coimbatore under isolation. 

The officials say that the collector was actively engaging in the relief works and inspecting the containment zones in the district during which he could have contracted to the viral infection. After it was confirmed that he was affected by the virus, the health officials have collected swab samples from all his direct contacts and 60 staff members attached to the collectorate to avoid further spread. 

Along with that, the first and second floors of the collectorate building have been disinfected. The collector was tested positive for the virus when Coimbatore district has reported a fresh spike of cases. On Wednesday, the district has reported 104 fresh cases including the collector and eight police officers attached to the Madukkarai Police station. 

Around a dozen lawmakers in Tamil Nadu have tested positive for the virus so far of which three are senior ministers of Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami's cabinet - KP Anbalagan, Thangamani, and Sellur Raja and remaining are sitting MLAs of both ADMK and DMK parties and the Chief Secretariat had also reported multiple COVID-19 cases in its premises. 

On Tuesday, the Chief Minister has gone through the testing and his results spelled negative to the viral infection. DMK's MLA J Anbalagan had succumbed to the virus on June 10, becoming the first MLA to die due to the infection. As of Wednesday, Tamil Nadu has reported 1,51,820 cases so far of which 47,340 are active, 1,02,310 have been recovered, and 2,167 have succumbed to the pandemic.