42 Nizamuddin returnees in Odisha volunteer for COVID-19 test

Bhubaneswar, Apr 7 (PTI) As many as 42 more Tablighi Jamaat event attendees in Odisha have reported their travel history and volunteered for COVID-19 test in the state, in response to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's appeal to the community to cooperate with the authorities.

With this, the total number of people in the state found to have attended the Nizamuddin religious congregation stood at 70, Subroto Bagchi, the government's COVID-19 spokesperson, said on Tuesday.

Earlier, the state government had identified 28 Nizamuddin returnees and placed them and their family members under quarantine. Of them, three have tested positive for COVID-19, he said. The chief minister has thanked all those who have responded to his April 4 appeal and volunteered for the test, Bagchi said.

"The state has assured all assistance to the Nizamuddin returnees. The government will bear the medical expenses, if they were found to have contracted the disease," he said, adding that those still hesitating to report should immediately approach the authorities.

Bagchi also said that the state has identified 40 more people from Odisha, who had participated in the event and were currently put in isolation in other states, amid the lockdown. Taking into account the fresh cases, the number of people who had attended the Delhi event rose to 110, he said.