World Bank Presidential Nominee Ajay Banga Tests Covid Positive Ahead Of Meeting With PM Modi

Ajay Banga was scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

World Bank presidential nominee Ajay Banga tested positive for COVID-19 in routine testing in New Delhi where he was travelling on the last leg of his world tour. He is currently quarantining in isolation, the Department of Treasury informed Thursday.

His New Delhi visit (March 23 and March 24) is the final stop on his three-week global tour that began in Africa before moving to Europe, Latin America, and Asia.

“During routine testing, Ajay Banga tested positive for COVID-19 but remains asymptomatic. In adherence with local guidelines, he is quarantining in isolation,” the Department of Treasury informed Thursday afternoon.

"I can confirm that Mr. Banga has not met with any Indian counterparts.  He is quarantining in isolation, in adherence to local guidelines, " a Spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi said.

"Additional information will be provided about Banga’s schedule in India when available," the spox mentioned.

"Mr. Banga tested positive upon arrival in Delhi.  Mr. Banga has conducted multiple tests for COVID during his tour, and tested negative before departing for India," the official added.

While in India, 63-year-old Banga was scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as the Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman and the Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, as per a previous statement by the Treasury.

India endorsed Ajay Banga’s candidacy soon after his nomination was announced.

A diverse coalition of governments has expressed their support for Banga, including Bangladesh, Côte d’Ivoire, Colombia, Egypt, France, Germany, Ghana, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom.

During his global listening tour, Banga, the former CEO of Mastercard, met with senior government officials, stakeholders, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and civil society.

The World Bank presidential nominee has built continuous momentum for his candidacy, gaining the support of advocates, academics, development experts, executives, Nobel Laureates, and former government officials.

If elected to serve, he will draw from his experience living and working in emerging markets and his expertise in forging public-private partnerships to mobilise investments and action to confront longstanding challenges.

That includes his efforts at Mastercard to successfully bring 500 million previously unbanked people into the digital economy, as well as its support for 50 million small businesses.

Banga has tested Covid positive at a time when India is witnessing a spike in influenza and coronavirus cases in the past two weeks. The country has recorded 1,134 new coronavirus cases, while the active cases increased to 7,026, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.

New Delhi logged 84 coronavirus cases with a positivity rate of 5.08 per cent on Wednesday, according to data shared by the health department.

The city has seen an increase in the number of fresh Covid infections over the last few days, amid a sharp rise in H3N2 influenza cases in the country.