Guests at filmmaker Karan Johar’s dinner in Mumbai last week are being tested for Covid after actor Kareena Kapoor Khan and at least three others have tested positive. Over a dozen of their contacts and people at their apartment buildings are also being tested by Mumbai’s civic body.
Kareena Kapoor Khan, who is double-vaccinated, is in home isolation and her building has been sealed. The BMC or Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has said that under new rules in the shadow of Omicron, there will be daily check-ins on the health of the actor and all others who have Covid.
Kareena Kapoor is part of a group of friends that attended the dinner at Karan Johar’s home on December 8 (last Wednesday).
Designer and “The Fabulous Lives Of Bollywood Wives” star Seema Khan, who was reportedly coughing at the party, was the first to test Covid positive, according to the civic body.
Kareena Kapoor and Amrita Arora confirmed the news on Instagram.
With at least four Covid cases emerging from that party and allegations of rules violated, Kareena Kapoor’s Spokes person has put out a strong statement in her defence, blaming “one person” at the party “who seemed unwell and was coughing”, and “should have been responsible enough not to attend the dinner”.
“Kareena has been extremely responsible throughout the lockdown period. She has been careful every time she’s stepped out. Unfortunately, this time she and Amrita Arora contracted Covid at an intimate dinner where a few friends had gathered to catch up. It wasn’t a big party as was reported. Among that group, there was one person who seemed unwell and was coughing, and who eventually passed it on. This person should have been responsible enough to not attend the dinner and put others at risk,” the spokesperson has said.
“It is not fair to put the blame on her and say that she has been irresponsible and let her guards down. Kareena is a responsible citizen and also has the concern and care for safeguarding her family,” he added.
Others at the same dinner said to be at risk include Kareena Kapoor’s sister and actor Karisma Kapoor, actor Malaika Arora (Amrita Arora’s sister) and designer Masaba Gupta.
The BMC will reportedly also sanitise Karan Johar’s building. Covid tests have been ordered for all those who attended his party.
“Some people have been infected. We have done contact tracing and over 15 people have been tested. The results are due tomorrow,” said Assistant Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani.
Kareena Kapoor and Amrita Arora had also attended another party on the previous day, hosted by Anil Kapoor’s daughter Rhea Kapoor.
While the two dinners are in the spotlight, celeb parties where Covid precautions like masks and distancing were skipped have become a huge concern as Mumbai tries to keep Omicron cases in check.
An FIR has been registered over Punjabi rapper AP Dhillon’s concert on Sunday in violation of a weekend ban on large gatherings. That show also saw Bollywood celebrities like Jahnvi Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan and her brother.
15 Comments Across India, there are now 49 cases of Omicron, the Covid variant found in South Africa last month. The strain, which has a large number of mutations, is more contagious than the Delta variant but is believed to cause milder symptoms.