One more tests positive for Covid-19 in Ghaziabad; 136 attendees of religious congregations quarantined

The district health department has, so far, been able to trace 136 persons known to have attended different religious congregations, including the one organised

The district health department has, so far, been able to trace 136 persons known to have attended different religious congregations, including the one organised at the Tablighi Jamaat headquarters on March 18 in Delhi. Of these, one tested positive Thursday, taking the total of number of Covid-19 cases n Ghaziabad to 10. The officials said that 11 of the 136 were admitted to the isolation ward at MMG District Hospital, while the rest were sent to quarantine facilities set at two private hospitals in Masuri and Muradnagar.

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Roughly, 9,000 members of the Jamaat, who had attended a three-day religious meet at the Tablighi Jamaat headquarters in Nizamuddin, are being traced by Indian authorities after it emerged that several of them were infected with coronavirus and could spread the disease further in the local communities in different states. The congregation is being called the single largest source of infections in the country, as of now and efforts are on to trace, test and quarantine its members.

“In Ghaziabad, we have identified and quarantined 136 persons who attended different religious congregations, including the one in Delhi. A search is on for others. Eleven of them have been admitted to the isolation ward, while 125 have been sent to quarantine facilities that have been set up at two private medical colleges in Masuri and Muradnagar. Their swab samples were collected on Thursday,” chief medical officer Dr NK Gupta said.

Meanwhile, the total number of persons from Uttar Pradesh who attended the March 18 congregation rose to 1,172 on Thursday. Some 884 were sent to quarantine facilities, government officials said. “Samples of 429 people attendees have been taken so far,” said Amit Mohan Prasad principal secretary (health).

During a press briefing in Lucknow, UP additional chief secretary (home) Awanish Awasthi said, “The chief minister has also directed for cautious and swift action against foreigners under the Epidemic Act and the Disaster Management Act. At present, there are 287 foreign nationals in UP who came for religious congregations and have been quarantined. FIRs have been filed against them in 13 districts. Passports of 211 have been seized as they had arrived on tourist visas instead of the mandatory missionary category.”

The officials said that most of the foreign national were from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Kenya, Iran and Bangaldesh, among others.

Late Thursday night chief medical officer (CMO) Dr NK Gupta said total number of coronavirus cases in Ghaziabad rose to ten as one more person tested positive for Covid-19. “The man who tested positive Thursday is one of six lodged in the isolation ward of MMG District Hospital. We have come to know that he was at the event at Delhi’s Nizamuddin,” Dr Gupta added.

“The 29-year-old woman is an employee of the Noida-based fire safety company Ceasefire. She stays with her sister stay in Vasundhara. The woman carpooled with another 30-year-old employee who stays in Shalimar Garden and is also Covid-19 positive. The woman was asymptomatic but tested positive while her sister who had shown symptoms was found negative,” the CMO said, adding that of the district’s nine Covid-19 patients, three are employees of the Noida company and another three were their contacts.

Two of the nine patients have recovered and been sent home to complete another 14 days in quarantine. Across the state, total Covid-19 patients stood at 121 on Thursday afternoon and 17 had recovered and been discharged from hospitals.