Panic gripped the nondescript hamlet of Hailey Mandi near Gurugram after reports of over 40 people harboured in a local Muslim household emerged. In the wake of the recent COVID-19 transmission at one of the religious conferences at Nizamuddin, the local residents alerted the police, informing them how over the last two days around 40 people had arrived that house and had been staying there.
A local police team and an administration team headed by SDM Rakesh Kumar raided the house and got it evacuated. While 27 people were taken for COVID-19 screening and shifted to isolation facilities, 15 members of the family were put under home quarantine.
According to police, the house belongs to a person named Gulzar who had not been keeping well for last many days and all those who had gathered at his home claimed to be his relatives coming to enquire about his health.
"The neighbours claimed that they had seen people coming on foot to this house and the family had even booked mattresses on rent to accommodate them. They came from neighbouring district of Mahendergarh and UP and the health team have taken them for examining," said SHO Suresh Kumar.
Gurugram district that has so far been waging the best fight against COVID-19 in the NCR is now faced with fresh challenges like such illegal congression of people. In another incident in the district, six people were picked up from Dhankot village on Tuesday evening. They insisted on being local residents but villagers revealed that the house they had occupied had been closed for many days and now suddenly the group which appeared to be migrants was seen inside it.
The local authorities have, meanwhile, launched massive raids in rural areas suspecting many such people being harboured in groups illegally.
"This can be a big threat to our efforts to impose social distancing. We are urging people to report any such activity. We also urge those affected to approach us and we will arrange isolation homes for them. Action will be taken against those harbouring such groups," said Gurugram Chief Medical Officer J.S. Poonia.
Meanwhile, another hamlet, Wazirabad, has imposed a curfew banning entry of outsiders into the village. It blocked all gates and deployed youth with sticks in their hands-on village borders. The move came after a family of four hosted a COVID-19 patient from Hisar for lunch on March 18, putting the entire village at risk. The patient and her husband had returned from the USA on March 18 and had a stopover at their relative’s home in Wazirabad. The 59-year-old woman tested positive on Tuesday.
