Coronavirus update: Singer Sonu Nigam, wife and son test positive for COVID-19

There has been a surge in COVID-19 cases across the globe and several celebrities have also been caught in it. Popular playback singer Sonu Nigam is the latest to join the growing list from the Indian film industry.

Along with Nigam, his wife Madhurima, son Nevaan and sister-in-law have caught the virus. The singer, who is currently in Dubai, shared a vlog on Instagram to reveal that he took a test as he had to fly back to India for a performance in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, and to shoot for the television reality show Super Singer (Season 3).

"I got myself tested and I was COVID-positive. I got myself retested, I was still positive. I got myself retested, retested, and still turned out to be positive. But I think people will have to live with it. I have done concerts in the viral and bad throat and this is much better than that."

The singer hummed a tune to show how his voice had not been affected by the virus. “If my throat is okay, I’m fine," he remarked. "But I feel bad for the people who would have had losses because of me."

Opinion: Spurt in COVID-19 cases raises doubts about film industry's commitment to the fight

In the past few days, there has been a spike in COVID-19 cases with several film personalities testing positive every other day. Even television stars like Sumona Chakravarti of The Kapil Sharma Show fame, Drashti Dhami, Erica Fernandez and Nakul Mehta have contracted the contagion.

Today, director Devashish Makhija, who has helmed critically acclaimed films like Ajji (2017) and Bhonsle (2020), also tested positive. The filmmaker is currently in quarantine.

Other film personalities who have contracted the virus in the past few days are John Abraham, Mrunal Thakur, Nora Fatehi, Ekta Kapoor, Alaya F, Prem  Chopra and his wife Uma Chopra, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Arjun Kapoor, film producer Rhea Kapoor and her husband and director Karan Boolani.

Because of the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases and several states imposing night curfews and other restrictions, Shahid Kapoor's Jersey, SS Rajamouli's magnum opus RRR and Akshay Kumar's ambitious historical epic Prithviraj have been postponed and more films are likely to follow suit.