COVID-19: Aishwarya, daughter test negative as Amitabh, son remain positive

Former Miss World and a popular Bollywood silver screen star, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and her daughter Aaradhya have tested negative for COVID-19, days after the novel infection hit the whole family. In a tweet through official twitter handle @juniorbachchan on Monday, Abhishek Bachchan disclosed that his wife and his daughter have tested negative while he […]

COVID-19: Aishwarya, daughter test negative as Amitabh, son remain positive

Three generations of Bollywood’s Bachchan family were hit by the coronavirus as former Miss World Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and her daughter on Sunday joined her father-in-law Amitabh and husband Abhishek in testing positive for the virus that causes COVID-19.

Former Miss World and a popular Bollywood silver screen star, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and her daughter Aaradhya have tested negative for COVID-19, days after the novel infection hit the whole family.

In a tweet through official twitter handle @juniorbachchan on Monday, Abhishek Bachchan disclosed that his wife and his daughter have tested negative while he and his father remain under hospital care.

The tweet reads: “Thank you all for your continued prayers and good wishes. Indebted forever.

“Aishwarya and Aaradhya have thankfully tested negative and have been discharged from the hospital.

“They will now be at home.

“My father and I remain in hospital under the care of the medical staff.”

Aishwarya, 46, who often features on “most beautiful” lists, has worked in several Bollywood and Hollywood films.

She is a brand ambassador for several multinational companies, including L’Oreal.

Amitabh’s wife Jaya, also an actor has tested negative, said the health minister.

Amitabh, a revered celebrity who endorses dozens of Indian and global brands, has a net worth estimated to be over $100 million, trade analysts say.

Top bureaucrats and ministers have been asked to show restraint on tweeting regarding the Bollywood star family, an official in the prime minister’s office told Reuters.

Amitabh said in a tweet on Saturday night that he had tested positive for the infectious virus.

Within minutes, Abhishek, 44, tweeted that he had also tested positive.

Father and son were moved to the Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai despite showing only mild symptoms and the father-son duo appealed to their millions of fans to stay calm.

Authorities launched a massive sanitising drill at Bachchan’s upscale residence in Mumbai, spraying disinfectant in the large compound and on cars parked outside.

Amitabh has been a prominent figure in the fight against coronavirus, appearing in public service advertisements where, in his trademark baritone, he urges people to wear masks, wash hands frequently and maintain social distance.

India’s film industry recently resumed film shoots after a months-long hiatus following the imposition of a nationwide lockdown in late March.

But actors over 65, such as Amitabh, are banned from the sets because of their vulnerability to the virus.