Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Friday took Muslim community leaders onboard to help the state fight COVID-19.
With growing incidents of attack on healthcare workers by the minority community, and the rise in number of positive cases among those who attended the Nizamuddin Jamath meet in Delhi, the chief minister urged Muslim leaders to take up confidence-building measures within their community to help contain the spread of the deadly virus.
The Karnataka government, which claims to have traced 391 persons from the state who had taken part in the Tablighi Jamath congregation held at Nizamuddin West in Delhi last month, suspects the number of attendees could be much more. As the Nizamuddin Markaz has turned out to be a COVID-19 hotspot with more than 347 Tablighi Jamath delegates testing COVID-19 positive, the state government has sought help from community leaders to trace the attendees.
At least 19 foreign nationals from Indonesia and Kyrgyzstan, all Nizamuddin event delegates, were found holed up in a mosque in Goripalya (Mysore Road), Bengaluru by health officials. They had arrived in Bengaluru from Delhi on March 13 and were residing in the mosque, with little to eat. The authorities have moved them to a designated hospital for quarantine.
At least 11 out of 28 persons who had attended the Nizamuddin event have tested COVID-19 positive.
It is suspected that more than 1,000 persons from the state had attended the Nizamuddin Jamath prayer meet in Delhi last month.
“We sought the help of community leaders to help us identify and trace those who had attended the Nizamuddin Jamath,” said Yediyurappa stating that the state should remain united to fight against COVID-19.
The government has formed teams to trace the attendees and their primary contacts to curb the further transmission of the virus. The CM has appealed to all those who attended the Nizamuddin Jamath meet to report to the nearest government hospital or police station or to call the helpline (080 29711171).
“We appeal to those who attended the Markaz to reveal themselves and seek medical help. There is nothing wrong in getting tested,” C.M. Ibrahim, a senior Congress leader said.
“We want to arrest the spread by isolating the attendees and their primary contacts at the earliest. The minority leaders have agreed to convince the people who attended the congregation to subject themselves to COVID-19 testing and also compulsory quarantine,” said Yediyurappa, adding that the virus had affected 125 persons and caused three deaths in the state.
In the meeting attended by senior leaders and legislators, including N.A. Haris, C.M. Ibrahim, Zameer Ahmed and Rizwan Arshad, Yediyurappa appealed to the leaders to sensitise the community and to dissuade them from attacking health workers who visit their homes for COVID-19 screening. On Thursday, more than 100 people had surrounded ASHA health workers on a door-to-door visit in Sadiq Layout in Bengaluru and manhandled them.
“Who asked ASHA workers to visit the homes and collect data in Sadiq Nagar without prior notice? The people panicked as they thought it was NRC survey,” claimed Chamrajpet MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan.
Meanwhile, the police in Ballari district have arrested 21 people who were offering namaaz at the local mosque despite the lockdown, causing concern.
The leaders informed the CM that they have conducted meetings with religious leaders of the community and created awareness about coronavirus. They also hope to convince the community to offer prayers at home and also to stay at home to maintain social distance during azan.
