Nearly a third of all confirmed novel coronavirus cases in India have been linked to Islamic sect Tablighi Jamaat and its gathering in Delhi last month, the Health Ministry said today, adding that such had been detected across 17 states and union territories. "It is an everyday battle for us. If we miss out on even one person it may pose a new challenge. So we need the cooperation of everyone," Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary (Health Ministry), said. The total number of COVID-19 cases across the country crossed 3,000 today, with at least 75 deaths linked to the virus.
Here are the 10 big points in this developing story:
In Tamil Nadu, the state worst hit by the fallout of the Jamaat event, 73 of 74 new cases reported today have been linked to the Jamaat. On Friday the southern state reported a spike in the number of new cases for a third straight day, with most of the 100 patients linked to the Delhi mosque event. Overall 1,200 of 1,500 people who were at the Jamaat event have been quarantined. The state has a total of 485 cases with at least two deaths linked to the virus.
In neighbouring Andhra Pradesh around 157 of 180 COVID-19 cases, or around 87 per cent, have ties to the Islamic sect, with 16 new cases reported over the past 24 hours. The state has reported one virus-related death, so far. In Telangana eight Indonesian tourists, who were members, tested positive. As of now the state has 229 cases (with seven deaths), of which the 75 on Friday were all linked to the Jamaat sect. Around 70 per cent of Telangana's COVID-19 cases - i.e., around 160 - have been connected to the Jamaat.
Uttar Pradesh, which has identified 1,302 attendees and isolated 1,000 of them, reported 227 positive cases by Saturday evening, of which 94 were related to the mosque event. As many as 27 districts in the state have reported such cases, with 47 fresh cases reported in the past 24 hours. The state has reported two virus-related deaths, so far.
Of the 62 COVID-19 cases reported from Haryana, 23 have connections to the Jamaat. Over 1,300 members, including 107 foreigners, came to the state before the lockdown came into force on March 25, Manoj Yadava, Director General of Police, said on Friday. In Punjab 241 of 309 Jamaat members have been traced, with six testing positive for the virus so far; results on 82 other tests are awaited. Overall the state has 57 cases and five deaths.
There are seven COVID-19 positive people in Maharashtra who have been linked to the Jamaat. A list of 1,225 people from the event has been handed to state authorities, of which 1,033 have been contacted 738 placed in isolation. Overall the state has 635 cases and 30 deaths have been linked to the virus.
In Madhya Pradesh, where 104 cases and six deaths have been confirmed overall, 10 Jamaat-related cases have been reported, with five from Bhopal. Three others are from Ujjain and two from Khargone. In Kerala, where 295 cases and two deaths have been reported, six cases have been linked to the Jamaat, while 60 others are under observation.
Rajasthan has 43 cases (out of 200 overall) and nine of the 10 cases reported from the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands are connected to the Jamaat. Bengal, which has three virus-related deaths and 69 cases, has one Jamaat-related case.
In Karnataka, of the 16 new cases reported two have Jamaat connections. Overall the state has 144 cases with four deaths. Jamaat members have also been identified and isolated in North East India, where 27 of 30 COVID-19 cases have been linked to the group.
As the highly infectious COVID-19 virus continues to spread across the country - 525 new cases and 13 deaths were reported in the past 24 hours - authorities are concerned that the number could increase as states track down other members of the group and await test results on those already quarantined. The Home Ministry has blacklisted 960 foreigners in India on tourist visas for involvement in Jamaat activities.
A case has been filed against Jamaat chief cleric Maulana Saad and six others under the Epidemic Disease Act, Delhi Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava said this week. Maulana Saad, 56, who is missing and may have been exposed to coronavirus, is reportedly in "self-quarantine", according to a video released Wednesday.
