Coronavirus | Himachal Pradesh CM asks Tablighi Jamaat members to come forward for testing

April 05, 2020 09:42 pm | Updated 11:36 pm IST - Shimla

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur. File

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur. File

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Sunday asked all members of the Tablighi Jamaat who had attended the group’s congregation in Delhi’s Nizamuddin, a COVID-19 hotspot, to come forward for testing by 5 p.m., failing which action would be taken against them.

State Helpline numbers | Interactive map of confirmed coronavirus cases in India

Three of the seven persons who tested positive for COVID-19 in the State on Saturday were members of the Islamic organisation, he said.

Earlier in the day, the State’s Director General of Police, Sita Ram Mardi, had issued a similar warning to the district heads of the Tablighi Jamaat. Mr. Mardi asked them to disclose details of all those who had entered the State after attending the congregation in Delhi’s Nizamuddin West area last month.

The Chief Minister said Tablighi Jamaat members were not cooperating with the authorities.

Also read | Use more masks, India's top science advisory body recommends

He asked all the members who attended the Delhi congregation to come forward for a medical check-up by 5 p.m. on Sunday and warned of strict action against those who do not comply with the order.

The Chief Minister said the three members of the group who had tested positive on Saturday were hiding in a mosque in Solan district’s Nalagarh and their samples were collected from there.

Also read | WHO warns ‘far from over’ in Asia and Pacific

The three were admitted to the Indira Gandhi Medical College here at 6.30 a.m. on Sunday, Senior Medical Superintendent, IGMC, Dr. Janak Raj said.

They are residents of Uttar Pradesh and had come to Himachal Pradesh’s Nalagarh area from Nizamuddin on March 18. Their contacts were being traced so that they could also be quarantined, he said.

With the seven fresh infections, the number of COVID-19 cases in Himachal Pradesh has risen to 14, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) R.D. Dhiman said on Saturday.

Watch | What is contact tracing?

These include two patients who have recovered and two deaths. There are 10 active cases in the State, he said.

Of these, six are members of the Tablighi Jamaat, according to officials.

Also read | ‘Heat is not a deterrent for transmission’: Your COVID-19 queries answered

The remaining three are being treated at the Dr. Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College (RPGMC) in Kangra district’s Tanda, they said.

Top News Today

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.