NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, MARCH 31
Twenty-four people in Delhi have tested positive for coronavirus and more cases may be confirmed after a religious gathering in the Nizamuddin area, which has been linked to seven COVID-19 deaths. Close to 2,000 people had been staying at “Markaz Nizamuddin”, the headquarters of the Tableeghi Jamat group, for weeks. 1,548 people were evacuated from the Markaz, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Tuesday. Of these, 441 were symptomatic of COVID-19 and have been sent to hospitals for testing, while the others have been quarantined.
On Tuesday morning, the Markaz Nizamuddin was sealed and 700 people moved out in buses are quarantined in different parts of the city.
Delhi has seen two deaths due to coronavirus so far. One person who tested positive flew back to Singapore after submitting test samples. Kejriwal said the government had analysed the cases and that of the 97, only one was on a ventilator and two require oxygen. The remaining 86 are stable, he said.
“Of the cases so far, 24 are related to the Markaz, 41 are people who returned from other countries, 22 are relatives of those who have tested positive. We are still looking at the nature of transmission in 10 cases. So far, we have not seen evidence of community transmission,” Kejriwal said.
Calling the organisers of the gathering at the Markaz irresponsible, Kejriwal said that on March 12 and 13, many people from across the country and abroad had gathered there. Many returned while several others stayed back.
Meanwhile, the Union Health Ministry has said, “this is not the time to find faults, but to take action.”
“With respect to the Nizamuddin area, we all need to understand and appreciate that this is not the time to do fault finding. What is important for us is to take action as per our containment process in whatever areas we find a case,” said Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Aggarwal during a press briefing this evening.
An administrator of the Markaz, however, said: “During this entire episode, Markaz Nizamuddin never violated any provision of law. It did not let them (preachers) violate medical guidelines”.
Authorities now fear the Markaz waypoint has become a coronavirus transmission hub, with 24 preachers testing positive.
Letters Issued to States to Trace and Quarantine Those Who Visited India for Tabligh Activities: MHA
The Ministry of Home Affairs says around 2,100 foreigners visited India for Tabligh activities since January 1 this year. As on 21 March, 824 dispersed to different parts of the country and as many as 216 of them were staying at Nizamuddin Markaz. Letters have been issued to all states to trace and quarantine them.
On March 28, the State police were advised to collect the names of the Indian Tabligh Jamaat workers from the local coordinators, locate them on the ground, get them medically screened and quarantine them. So far, about 2,137 such persons have been identified in different States. Courtesy: indiatomorrow.in
