With the ongoing identification of the people who visited the Nizamuddin Markaz in March, three more people who attended a Delhi religious congregation linked to a large coronavirus case cluster have tested positive in Assam’s Goalpara district, adding to a state caseload that has risen from zero to 16 in just 36 hours.
COVID-19 cases with 3 Assam cases linked to Nizamuddin markaz
Reportedly, all the patients in Assam took part in the congregation, held at the Tablighi Jamaat group’s Markaz in Nizamuddin last month. The group’s leader has been booked by the city police.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbanada Sonowal on Wednesday said, “Assam has reached a very critical juncture. In this hour of crisis, irrespective of any caste, creed and religion, we have to abide by all the rules of lockdown.”
Apart from Assam, its neighbouring states Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh have also reported coronavirus positive cases linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation. With this, the total COVID-19 cases in Manipur has reached to 2 while Arunachal Pradesh has this as its first COVID-19 positive case.
The news was updated by Manipur’s chief minister N Biren Singh on his Twitter handle at 12.36 am on Thursday, April 2. He tweeted, “Very sad and alert, In Manipur too one more #COVIDー19 positive case who joined #TablighiJamaat congregation at #NizamuddinMarkaz. Now in Manipur #COVIDー19 positive are two. Some are under quarantine centres for observation.”
Of the 10 persons from Manipur who attended the Tablighi Jamaat Nizamuddin in the national capital between March 13 and 15, eight of them tested negative and one tested positive for coronavirus. The result of the remaining person is awaited.
Meanwhile, Arunachal Pradesh has also reported its first confirmed coronavirus positive case on Thursday who is a man from the remote Tezu district who had also travelled to the Markaz. He has now been quarantined.
On Wednesday, Chief Minister Pema Khandu said Arunachal Pradesh was “preparing best to meet any challenges on COVID-19,” referring to the potentially fatal respiratory disease caused by the previously unknown pathogen.
According to sources, seven people have been kept in quarantine including six in Namsai and one in Lohit. Their samples were sent to Dibrugarh in neighbouring Assam on Wednesday.
The sources further added that they had all travelled to Delhi together in December from Tinsukia in Assam. They returned to Namsai, Lohit and Itanagar between March 19 and 20. They did not take part in the religious event of Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi, however, had stayed at Nizamuddin Markaz from December 12-14 and between March 14 and 16, before returning to the state.
Later, taking to Twitter, chief minister Pema Khandu said that the patient is asymptomatic at present and has been kept in isolation. “His condition is stable,” he tweeted.
India’s Northeast now has a total of 20 coronavirus cases, including one in Mizoram.
