New Delhi: In a sweeping nationwide hunt, authorities across states have identified more than 6,000 people who attended the Nizamuddin Tablighi Jamaat congregation, the biggest COVID-19 hotspot in India, as more than 400 fresh cases of infection emerged Wednesday to take the tally over 1,900 with at least 58 deaths.
More than 5,000 of those identified to have attended the congregation have been quarantined, including in hospitals across states, while efforts are on to trace another 2,000 including in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.
The list includes foreigners as well, while some of those identified by the state authorities are yet to return from Delhi to their respective native places. Authorities attributed the big spike in the numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases largely to the Tablighi Jamaat.
The latest Union Health Ministry update put the nationwide tally of the confirmed COVID-19 cases at 1,637, after 376 new cases were recorded in the last 24 hours, and the death count at 38. But figures announced by different states and Union Territories totalled 1,910 with at least 58 deaths.
The mMinistry officials said cases have increased largely due to Tablighi Jamaat congregation, which took place in mid-March, and therefore technically it does not show a national trend. They urged people to follow guidelines during lockdown period and avoid congregations, including religious gatherings.
Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Delhi were among the places to report a large number of new cases. While more than 400 confirmed cases were reported by all states put together, they also reported at least 11 new deaths due to COVID-19.
In Delhi, the authorities said coronavirus cases have risen to 152, including 53 who attended the Nizamuddin congregation. In Maharashtra the total number of infected persons went up to 335 with 33 new cases reported Wednesday. The tally can increase further as nearly 5,000 quarantined persons are in the high-risk category, according to the Maharashtra government. Maharashtra reported six deaths Wednesday, taking the total to 16 – the maximum in the country.
In Tamil Nadu, 110 people who returned from Tablighi Jamaat meet in Delhi have tested positive, taking the total cases in the state to 234. At least 515 persons have been identified for having attended the Nizamuddin meet, while 59 of them have been quarantined. Chief Minister K Palaniswami said 1,131 men have returned to Tamil Nadu and approximately 1,500 people who went for the event.
In Telangana, 50 of the 57 positive cases had attended the gathering, while the state authorities have identified and quarantined at least 840 people linked to the event. The search is on for 160 others.
In Delhi also, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said 2,361 people were evacuated from the place of the Nizamuddin congregation, out of which 617 have been admitted to hospitals for showing COVID-19 symptoms while the rest are quarantined. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said authorities are tracking mobile phones of people under quarantine to check their movement.
The Centre also asked Wednesday all states and Union Territories to launch on a ‘war footing’ the contact tracing of all participants of the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi’s Nizamuddin, which has emerged as the coronavirus hotspot.
Figures assembled by PTI team
State/UT Confirmed Discharged Deaths
Andaman & Nicobar 10 0 0
Andhra Pradesh 87 2 0
Assam 5 0 0
Bihar 23 0 1
Chandigarh 15 0 0
Chhattisgarh 9 2 0
Delhi 120 5 2
Goa 5 0 0
Gujarat 82 6 6
Haryana 29 10 0
Himachal Pradesh 3 1 1
Jammu & Kashmir 55 2 2
Jharkhand 1 0 0
Karnataka 105 9 3
Kerala 265 26 2
Ladakh 13 3 0
Madhya Pradesh 86 0 6
Maharashtra 322 39 12
Manipur 1 0 0
Mizoram 1 0 0
Odisha 4 0 0
Pondicherry 2 0 0
Punjab 46 1 4
Rajasthan 108 14 0
Tamil Nadu 234 5 1
Telangana 77 14 6
Uttarakhand 7 2 0
Uttar Pradesh 113 17 2
West Bengal 34 2 6
Total 1862 160 54
However, it should be stated here that the Union Health Ministry has placed the total number of cases at 1637 and the death toll at 38. The ministry said that 133 people have so far recovered from the infection and have been discharged.
PTI