Milkha Singh, the 91-year-old former Commonwealth Games champion and 1960 Rome Olympian, tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday.
However, none of the other family members including Singh’s wife and former India volleyball captain Nirmal Kaur, daughter-in-law Kudrat, and grandson Harjai Milkha Singh were tested positive.
“Last evening (Wednesday), I underwent a test for COVID-19 and was tested positive. While I had a fever last night, my body temperature has returned to normal now.
He said, “I have been reading old books and seeing my old pictures apart from taking an evening walk on our back lawn. I am thankful to my fans for their wishes, which has kept me in high spirits,”
On Wednesday, Nirmal called the medical team for rapid antigen tests after one of their cooks complained of high fever. “One of our cooks had a fever earlier this week and when he told us, the whole family and staff decided to get tested on Wednesday. While he was asymptomatic till evening, he had a fever last night,” she said.
He is taking every measure to keep the infection under control, she said. “He had been following all the precautions including double masking. Right now, we are in touch with the doctors at PGI and they have prescribed him antibiotics in case he needs it, as his fever has stopped. The United Sikhs NGO has also sent an oxygen concentrator in case he needs it,” she said.
With son Jeev Milkha Singh hosting a tournament in Dubai in association with the local Gurudwara to raise funds for Covid help in India, Nirmal and Jeev’s wife Kudrat have ensured that all the family members are in isolation. “My second daughter, Dr Mona Singh, who works in a COVID ward in Metropolitan Hospital in New York has been constantly talking with him to keep him occupied and motivated,” said Nirmal.
Apart from dropping in occasionally at the Chandigarh Golf Club and attending last year’s Jeev Milkha Singh Invitational, Milkha has been mostly staying indoors for the last two to three months. He was supposed to attend the opening of the COVID Care Mini Centre at Sector 43 Sports Complex on Thursday.
“He was invited for the inauguration and he was to attend the event today. He had not got vaccinated yet. By god’s will and prayer of his fans, Sardar ji will recover from this and get vaccinated too,” added Kaur.
Jeev, who played a practice round at the Emirates Golf Course, Dubai, to raise money for Covid help in India in association with a Gurudwara in Dubai, meanwhile posted a video message on social media. “We thank everyone for the good wishes. My father is recovering well and he is always been a fighter and I am sure he will be fine in few days,” said Jeev.
