Nizamuddin: Govt scrambles to contain Covid-19 fallout; 5,000 quarantined

Authorities attributed the big spike in the numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases largely to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation

In a sweeping nationwide hunt, authorities across states have identified more than 6,000 people who attended the Nizamuddin Tablighi Jamaat congregation, the biggest Covid-19 hotspot in India, as more than 450 fresh cases of infection emerged on Wednesday to take the tally over 2,000 with at least 58 deaths.

More than 5,000 of those identified have been quarantined, including in hospitals across states, while efforts are on to trace another 2,000 including those in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. The list also includes foreigners. Some of those identified by the state authorities are yet to return from Delhi to their respective native places.

Authorities attributed the big spike in the numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases largely to the Tablighi Jamaat, an orthodox Muslim society set up nearly 100 years ago by Deobandi Islamic scholar Maulana Muhammad Ilyas Khandhalawi as a religious reform movement and to spread the faith.

Here is what state authorities are doing to deal with this crisis

UP police traces, isolates 569 persons who attended Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi

The Uttar Pradesh government has identified as many as 569 persons who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event at the Nizamuddin Markaz in the national capital early this month along with 218 foreign nationals suspected of being infected by coronavirus and now quarantined. UP Police identified 218 foreign nationals, who had come to Uttar Pradesh at different stages on tourist visas, However, some of these foreigners joined the Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin Markaz. Police have seized the passports of these foreigners, who have now been quarantined and are being investigated. The Police have also filed an FIR against people who provided shelter to foreigners.

275 foreign nationals identified and quarantined in Delhi

In a joint operation conducted by Delhi Police Special Crime Branch and Delhi government, 275 foreign nationals, who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi, have been identified and sent into quarantine. The foreign nationals include 172 from Indonesia, 36 from Kyrgyzstan and 21 from Bangladesh.

"104 persons who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi were picked from various mosques yesterday. They have been lodged at a resort and their samples will be collected," Dr Mukesh Vats, Chief Medical Officer of Agra said.

110 Tablighi Jamaat attendees tests positive in TN, toll mounts to 234
 

A total of 110 people who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi's Nizamuddin area have tested positive for coronavirus in Tamil Nadu. With this, the total number of Covid-19 cases in the state rose to 234 on Wednesday. A media bulletin issued by the Tamil Nadu government said, "The total number of positive cases of coronavirus have increased to 234. 110 people who had attended Markaz Nizamuddin in Delhi have tested positive today."

Bengal death toll now 7; 71 Nizamuddin attendees quarantined

Three more Covid-19 patients died in West Bengal on Wednesday, taking the death count in the state to 7, while the state government traced 71 people, including foreigners, who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin and placed them under quarantine. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said 37 cases of Covid-19 have been reported in the state so far.

One more person died later in the evening. The seventh person to die was an elderly man who was tested positive for Covid-19 and was in a private hospital. However, there was no official confirmation of whether he died due to coronavirus or any other ailments. The CM said the government has so far identified 71 people who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin, and has placed 54 people from that group under quarantine.

3 Covid-19 deaths, 30 new cases in Telangana

Three persons, who attended a religious congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin, died due to novel coronavirus in Telangana, taking the death toll in the state to 9 on Wednesday, a statement said. Thirty new Covid-19 cases were reported in the state, a press release from Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's office said on Thursday. All the fresh cases and the deceased had attended the religious meeting at Nizamuddin in Delhi last month, it said. The 6 people, who died earlier, had also attended the same gathering.

27 fresh Covid-19 cases in Jaipur, 11 of them attended Jamaat gathering in Delhi

Twenty-seven fresh cases of coronavirus were reported from Rajasthan on Wednesday and 11 of them had attended a Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Delhi, the country's biggest Covid-19 hotspot, pushing the total count of infected people in the state to 120, an official said. Thirteen of the fresh cases were reported from the densely populated Ramganj area of Jaipur, another Covid-19 hotspot. The 11 cases linked to the Jamaat gathering are from Tonk (4) and Churu (7).

The rest three cases were reported from Jodhpur (2) and Alwar. A 65-year-old man with no travel history and a 61-year-old woman evacuated from Iran last week in Jodhpur and another man from Alwar tested positive, Additional Chief Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said.

8 more confirmed positive Covid-19 in Assam

Eight more people tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday in Assam, state Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Wednesday adding that all of them has participated in the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in New Delhi last month. "Eight more cases have been confirmed positive for coronavirus in Assam, taking the total number of cases in the state to 13," said Sarma taking to his Twitter account

He also said, "All eight new cases are of people who also participated in the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Markaz Nizamuddin in Delhi." Earlier in the day the health minister had said that four patients have been shifted to Gauhati Medical College, whereas one has been moved to Silchar Medical College and Hospital.

Chandigarh and Ambala update

Chandigarh Police has identified five people who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in New Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz last month. "Five persons have been identified in the area of Mauli Jagran of Chandigarh who recently attended Tablighi Jamat at Nizamuddin Delhi. They were sent for a medical examination through ambulance," an official release of Chandigarh Police said. Earlier, 110 people in Tamil Nadu and 43 in Andhra Pradesh who had attended the gathering hade tested positive for coronavirus. Six attendees from Telangana have also died due to the deadly virus.

Ambala

Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij on Wednesday said that four people, possibly infected with the coronavirus, who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in New Delhi's Markaz Nizamuddin have been found in Ambala and their samples have been sent for testing. "All SPs in Haryana have been told that all those places where they (those who attended Markaz event) could be, be checked. Police did checking in Ambala yesterday and 4 possibly infected people were found. They have been admitted to hospital and their samples sent for test," Vij told reporters here. "40 people have been placed under quarantine. Further action will be taken after their report comes," he said.

Some positivity: 15 associated with Tablighi event in Odisha test negative

The Odisha government has traced and tested 20 persons associated with the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, but 15 of them have tested negative for coronavirus, an official statement said on Wednesday. Of these, 12 are from Rourkela, one each from Kendrapara, Cuttack and Ganjam district, the report said, adding that the remaining five reports are awaited.