Tablighi Jamaat Event Linked to 647 New Coronavirus Cases in 14 States Over Last Two Days: Health Ministry

New Delhi, April 3: A total of 647 new coronavirus cases, detected across 14 states of India in the past two days, are linked to the Tablighi Jamaat event held in Delhi, said a top Union Health Ministry official on Friday. The authorities are further tracing the people whom they came in contact to over the past few days to prevent a community outbreak. Catch all the live news updates related to coronavirus pandemic in India and other parts of the world.

"If we look at cases related to Tableeghi Jamaat,in last 2 days around 647 confirmed cases related to it found in 14 states - Andaman and Nicobar, Assam, Delhi, Himachal, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh," said Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry.

The Jamaat event was held at Banglewali Masjid in Delhi's Nizamuddin area. The mosque serves as the Markaz or headquarters of the Jamaat -- an Islamic organisation founded over 100 years ago. The congregations were convened first on March 13, which lasted till March 15, followed by smaller meetings that were held before the imposition of lockdown. Tablighi Jamaat Members in Ghaziabad to be Slapped With NSA For 'Making Lewd Gestures' Against Nurses, Says UP Govt.

A number of foreign delegates who attended the Jamaat event were infected with COVID-19. The disease subsequently spread to an array of other Jamaat followers who had arrived from different parts of the nation and were part of the congregations. When they returned to their native provinces following the March 13-15 event, they ended up infecting persons to whom they came in close contact.

Several Jamaat members were also left stranded at the Nizamuddin Markaz following the March 24 lockdown orders, as trains and bus services were suspended. Their evacuation was carried out on Wednesday and Thursday, with the police and health department personnel evacuating nearly 2,300 persons.

Those with symptoms were shifted to the quarantine centres in the vicinity of the national capital. The test reports of several persons are awaited to ascertain whether they have contracted the coronavirus. Those tested negative for the disease are likely to be allowed to leave for their homes after a period of 14 days.

Nationwide, the toll of active coronavirus infections crossed the 2,300-mark on Friday. Nearly one-third of them - at least 647 - is being linked to the Nizamuddin Markaz congregation. The death count surged to 56 -- with at least 15 out of them being linked to the Tablighi Jamaat.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 03, 2020 05:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).