Concerns that a Tablighi Jamath event in Hazrat Nizamuddin in Delhi has led to a spike in coronavirus cases are increasing across the nation.
The Tablighi Jamath conference was held in phases between March 1 and March 15 and was attended by over 2,000 delegates, including Islamic preachers from Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. The Delhi Police on Monday cordoned off a major area in Nizamuddin West where several people showed symptoms of the coronavirus after taking part in the Tablighi Jamath event.
The Times of India reported on Tuesday that a total of nine people—six in Telangana and one each in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Jammu and Kashmir—who attended the Hazrat Nizamuddin event had died of the coronavirus. One Filipino national also died.
Delhi
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Tuesday told reporters that 24 people who attended the event, held earlier in March, have tested positive for coronavirus.
Jain said, "700 people who attended this congregation have been quarantined while around 335 people have been admitted to hospitals." Jain said all those who participated in the event are being screened by the government.
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh saw a jump in the number of coronavirus cases with 17 testing positive since Monday night, taking the overall tally to 40, the Medical and Health Department said in its latest bulletin.
Of the 40 cases, 20 had either gone to the Jamath event in Delhi or are direct/indirect contacts of people who went there. The Andhra Pradesh government estimates nearly 800 people from the state had gone for the Jamath event in Nizamuddin.
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu recorded 17 new cases of coronavirus on Monday, taking the total number of infected persons to 67. Of these, 24 had either gone to the Hazrat Nizamuddin event or were direct/indirect contacts of these persons.
The Tamil Nadu government announced on Monday that it was searching for over 800 people who had gone for the Hazrat Nizamuddin event.
