'No women officials in service of quarantined Tablighi Jamaat members', declares UP Govt

Following a major health scare that happened after several COVID-19 positive cases emerged from an event held in Nizamuddin Markaz, Uttar Pradesh government on Friday directed that no women health workers and female police officers will be deployed in service of quarantined Tablighi Jamaat members. 

This comes after Yogi Adityanath on Friday lashed out at the attendees and members of Tablighi Jammat for misbehaving and mistreating the women medical staff at a hospital in Ghaziabad. Additionally, the UP Govt directed that women health workers and women police personnel will not be deployed to treat and provide security to Tablighi Jamaat attendees placed under quarantine after Ghaziabad's MMG Hospital staff complained that Tablighi Jamaat attendees misbehaved with nurses. 

"Women health workers and women police personnel will not be deployed to treat and provide security to Tablighi Jamaat attendees placed under quarantine," said the Uttar Pradesh government in a statement.

Earlier an FIR was registered against six persons from Tablighi Jamaat, who are quarantined at MMG District Hospital, for "walking around the ward without their trousers on and making lewd gestures towards the nurses. According to sources, UP had traced 157 attendees.

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What is the Nizamuddin COVID-19 scare?

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, many of the attendees returned to other parts of the country.

A case was registered by the Delhi Police against Maulana Saad and other attendees of the congregation by Tablighi Jamaat for violating the restriction pertaining to religious gatherings. Sections under the Epidemic Disease Act,1897 and Section 269, 270, 271 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code have been invoked. In the FIR, it has been stated that the congregation failed to take safety measures for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. 

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The Coronavirus crisis

As per the latest figures, there are over 2060 Coronavirus positive cases in India. While 53 deaths have been reported overall, 156 people have also been cured/discharged/migrated.

On March 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced a 21-day lockdown in the entire country effective from midnight of March 25 to deal with the spread of Coronavirus, saying that "social distancing" is the only option to deal with the disease, which spreads rapidly. The 21-day curfew is applicable to all states, districts, and villages - irrespective of whether they were earlier under curfew or not.

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(with inputs from ANI)