Health officials in the scenic coastal district of East Godavari in Andhra Pradesh went into a tizzy after two local residents tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
The two persons, who returned from Delhi on March 18, reside in Kakinada and Rajamundry, located 60 km apart. The duo had attended the Tabhligi Jamath meeting at the mosque in Nizamuddin, Delhi, where hundreds of Indians and foreign nationals were present.
The Andhra Pradesh government was on alert after a person from Guntur district tested positive for COVID-19 few days back. Inquiries revealed that he went with a group of people from Guntur to the Jamath meeting. The AP officials approached Wakf board and collected the list of all those who travelled to Delhi around the same time for the Jamath meeting.
East Godavari district administration learnt that there are more than 25 people in the list from their jurisdiction. Officials approached the travellers to ask them to undergo screening, and found that two people tested positive. Local administration quickly swung into action and identified more than 120 people who came in contact with all those who travelled with the infected persons.
“This is a very big challenge for us,” said a district health official who did not wish to be named. “We are monitoring more than 100 people right now. We have only screened those who went to Delhi with the knowledge of the Wakf board. There might be more. We are also trying our best to find out if more people went in separate groups. Right now, we are screening everyone who has travelled with them or met them after their return and also neighbours of the patients.”
Officials are hoping that there is no large scale spread of the infection which could further lead to community transmission. They are also preparing to initiate disinfectant operation in Rajamundry and Kakinada. The Jamath meeting has been under the radar of officials in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for some time now.
In Prakasam district, a 60-year-old male who attended the Jamath tested positive a few days back. His wife has also tested positive for the coronavirus. Similarly, two members of a family in Guntur also contracted COVID-19. Earlier this month, 10 Indonesian preachers who reached a north Telangana town from Delhi were also confirmed to have COVID-19. They also had reportedly visited the mosque in Nizamuddin as well. The first COVID-19 death in Telangana was that of a person who had gone to Delhi to participate in a religious congregation.
