Morena, April 4: A Dubai-returnee and at least 11 members of his family tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh's Morena district on Friday. Identified as Suresh, the man works as a waiter in Dubai. He came to his village on March 17 last month and organised a grand ceremony on March 20. The funeral feast of Suresh's mother was attended by 1,500 people. Coronavirus Cases In India Jump to 3,113, Death Count at 75; 212 Recovered.

Shockingly, he started developing COVID-19 symptoms five days later. But the Gulf-returnee and his wife only visited the doctor on March 29. They were put under quarantine. Their medical reports on Thursday confirmed that they were coronavirus positive. Tablighi Jamaat Event Linked to 1,023 COVID-19 Cases Across 17 States, Says Health Ministry.

Later, 10 of the 23 relatives tested by the authorities also resulted positive for the virus. To prevent the virus spread, officials have sealed the entire locality where the feast took place. "We sent 23 samples of the contacts of the two positive patients and received the reports on Friday. Out of the 10, including eight women, have tested positive for the virus," an official was quoted as saying by NDTV.

This development comes at a time when Tablighi Jamaat congregation has had a disastrous impact on the COVID-19 spread in India. According to the Health Ministry, nearly a third of all confirmed infections in the country is linked to the mosque event. The government has detected 1,023 coronavirus patients spread across 17 states and union territories linked to Nizamuddin Markaz.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 05, 2020 12:34 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).