Satyendra Jain: 600 related to Tablighi Jamaat event quarantined

Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain on Saturday stated that in the last two days, the authorities have quarantined around 600 people who either visited or are in contact with those who visited the Tablighi Jamaat event in Nizamuddin in the national capital in early March.

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Running out of PPE

Jain went on to state that the authorities are working on to trace all contacts related to the event. Jain also highlighted the need for more Personal protective equipment (PPE) since the Delhi government has only stock worth two to three days left. The government will be needing 50,000 more PPE and has asked the Central government to distribute the supplies as per the workload and the number of cases. 

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A religious program was organized at Tablighi Jamaat's headquarters Markaz Nizamuddin mosque between 13-15 March which was attended by over three thousand people, from India and abroad, who since dispersed. After attending the meeting, which took place prior to the nationwide lockdown but after the Delhi government's own directive against such gatherings, many of the attendees returned to other parts of the country, with the spread of the COVID-19 virus now being confirmed from numerous states as a result.

Hundreds of visitors of the Tablighi Jamaat have tested positive with many more in quarantine after the locality became a hot spot in the national capital.

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On Friday, the Health Ministry stated that 647 confirmed Coronavirus cases across India were linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation. Since March 30, the total number of COVID-19 cases in India has risen by 1050 to touch 2,301, meaning that the cases linked to the Jamaat has contributed to 61.6% of the total spike in cases and constitute over a quarter of all confirmed infections.

The cases related to Tablighi Jamaat have been scattered all across India and includes both Indian as well as foreign nationals. The Health Ministry on Thursday highlighted that 9000 contacts of the Markaz Nizamuddin attendees have been traced and placed under quarantine. Out of these 9000 individuals, 1300 are foreign nationals.

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