Sample of Tablighi Jamaat returnee sent for COVID-19 test

The Arunachal Pradesh government on Wednesday sent a sample of a person, who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhis Nizamuddin, a coronavirus hotspot, for COVID-19 test.

Lohit Superintendent of Police (SP) Dr Wangdi Thungon said that the district medical authorities have collected the swab sample of the person and sent it to Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) at Dibrugarh in Assam on Wednesday.

The 29-year-old person reached Medo in Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh on March 18 after attending the Markaz congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin on March 15. "He left Nizamuddin on March 16 and since March 24, he is under home quarantine. He is not showing any signs and symptoms even after 16 days," Thungon said.

The result of the test is expected by Thursday evening, the SP said, adding, if there is any positive signal, those who came in contact with him would be traced. When asked whether the samples of his family members were also sent for test, Thungon said that since he went to Delhi alone and was under home isolation, the samples of other members of the family were not collected as of yet.

"If his test result is positive, we will perform the test for other family members also," the SP added. Arunachal Pradesh has not reported any COVID-19 cases so far. A total of 37 samples have been sent for testing from the state, of which 33 are negative while results of four are awaited, State Surveillance Officer (IDSP) Dr L Jampa said. Seventeen people are staying in quarantine facilities while 85 have completed the 14-day quarantine period, he added.

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