More than a month after testing positive for the COVID-19, singer Kanika Kapoor on Sunday said that she took time to react to the misinformation about her travel history because she believed truth would prevail on its own.
Kanika, who was the first Bollywood personality to test positive for the novel virus on March 20, came under attack for negligence and not practising self-quarantine despite returning to the country from the UK amid the coronavirus pandemic.
She was also booked by the Uttar Pradesh Police for negligence and committing acts that were likely to spread the infection after she attended at least three gatherings in Lucknow, including a party where political personalities, including senior BJP leader and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and her son, Dushyant Singh, were present. In a statement, the singer said she is aware of “several versions of stories” about her diagnosis, but “negativity thrown at a person does not change the reality.
“I travelled from the UK to Mumbai on March 10 and was duly screened at the international airport. There was no advisory on that day (UK travel advisory was released on 18 March) that stated that I needed to quarantine myself. I showed no ill health so did not quarantine myself.” The singer said she travelled to Lucknow to meet her family on March 11 and claimed there was “no screening setup for domestic flights”. On March 14 and 15, Kanika said she attended a friend’s lunch and dinner and clarified “there was no party hosted by me and I was in absolute normal health.” However, on March 17 and 18, she developed symptoms and said she got herself tested on March 19. “On March 20 when informed that my test was positive, I chose to go to the hospital. I was discharged after there negative tests and have since been at home for 21 days. “I want to especially thank the doctors and nurses who have so graciously taken care of me during a very emotionally testing time. I hope that all can deal with this matter with honesty and sensitivity,” she added.
