COVID-19 Outbreak: Around 9,000 At Risk From Tablighi Meeting In Delhi's Nizamuddin

Twenty-three states and four union territories have been trying to identify, isolate and test 1,306 people who attended the religious congregation of nearly 4,000 at Markaz Nizamuddin, the headquarters of Tablighi Jamaat in New Delhi, in mid-March.

According to an NDTV report, around 7,600 Indians and 1,300 foreigners with links to the Islamic missionary group have been identified. The number, however, may increase as search for members of the Tablighi Jamaat is going on.

Data collected by the Home Ministry till April 1 shows that out of them, 1,051 have been quarantined, 21 have tested positive and two have died.

Reportedly the authorities are using all resources to identify 7,688 local workers of the Tablighi Jamaat and their contacts who need to be quarantined.

"The contact tracing is still going on but as on April 1, we have managed to identify most of the foreign and domestic workers. But it's a work in progress," a senior official in the Prime Minister's Office was quoted as saying.

Around 400 people linked to the gathering have tested positive across the country, according to data released by state governments and the Home Ministry. Tamil Nadu has registered the largest share so far at 190, followed by 71 in Andhra Pradesh, 53 in Delhi, 28 in Telangana, 13 in Assam, 12 in Maharashtra, 10 in Andamans, six in Jammu and Kashmir, and two in Puducherry and Gujarat each.

Scores of people from across India and some from countries like Malaysia and Indonesia had visited the narrow winding lane in Nizamuddin, participating in prayer sessions and lectures over several days.

According to Tablighi Jamaat, since public transportation and all movement stopped due to a nationwide lockdown, thousands of people had been stranded inside the dormitories of the Markaz or centre after the meeting ended while others had left the city.

Reportedly, Delhi's Health Minister Satyendra Jain stated that 2,335 people were taken out of the Tablighi centre and its mosque over a 36-hour period that ended on April 1.

"They have been sent to quarantine centres, others who showed symptoms are in hospitals," he was quoted as saying.

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