Four more people, who attended the Tablighi Jamaat’s events, tested positive for Covid-19 in Uttarakhand on Sunday, taking the number of cases in the state from 22 to 26.
Out of the 26 Covid-19 patients in the state, there are 18 people who were at the congregation of the Tablighi Jamaat in Nizamuddin Markaz in March and elsewhere.
The Uttarakhand police on Sunday warned that residents of the state, who last month attended a gathering at Tablighi Jamaat headquarters in Delhi that has since emerged as a Covid-19 hotspot, will be booked for ‘murder’ and ‘attempt to murder’ if they fail to report to the authorities by April 6 and in the meantime infect others with the disease.
Dr Rashmi Pant, additional chief medical officer of Nainital, confirmed that one Tablighi Jamaat member from Kaladhungi area of the district tested positive for the deadly virus on Sunday.
According to health officials, the patient from Nainital had attended a religious congregation in Moradabad and not in Delhi’s Nizamuddin Markaz and five members of his family were quarantined on Sunday after he tested positive.
Dr Dinesh Chauhan, additional chief medical officer of Dehradun district, said that three new cases of Covid-19 were reported from the district on Sunday.
“Three Jamaat attendees tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday. The attendees and their close contacts have been quarantined and their health status is being monitored,” said Dr Chauhan.
He added that the report of an American citizen who tested positive first on March 23, came out positive again on Sunday.
On Saturday, six people who had attended Tablighi Jamaat attendees had tested positive from Nainital and Haridwar and on Friday, six attendees had tested positive from Dehradun and Udham Singh Nagar.
Nainital district administration has also quarantined 46 family members of Jamaat attendees who were tested positive for Covid-19. Apart from this, dozens of families have been home quarantined in Banbhulpura area of Nainital, said officials.
“To prevent community transmission of coronavirus we have taken this strict action in Banbhulpura. As a precautionary measure we have quarantined 46 family members of five Jamaat attendees who tested positive,” Sushil Kumar, in-charge of Banbhulpura police station, said.
They have been quarantined in different hotels and some at home.
Entire village quarantined
With rising cases of coronavirus disease in the state, Champawat district administration has quarantined an entire village, Gudmi in Banbasa area, on Sunday. The village is home to around 700 people, said officials.
HS Hayanki, chief medical superintendent of the district hospital in Champawat, said a resident of the village working in US Nagar was found to have symptoms similar to those of coronavirus disease.
The official said he had walked from Pant Nagar till his village after the lockdown and was suffering from the symptoms, thus the whole village has been quarantined.
