As Punjab felt the fallout of Tablighi Jamaat congregation with two of its participants tested positive on Friday, the State Government on Friday ordered a virtual clampdown on the spread of the deadly coronavirus in the State because of the Nizamuddin congregation.
It ordered the mandatory hospital isolation of “all such preliminary positive cases…irrespective of their symptoms and the duration of stay their stay in Delhi”.
Notably, Punjab on Friday reported two positive cases from Mohali — 62 years old female from Sector-68 and 42 years old man from Mauli Baidwan village — both of whom had attended Tablighi Jamaat congregation in the national capital last month.
“Two more coronavirus positive cases surfaced in the district today. These two had attended a religious congregation in Delhi. Their contacts are being traced. The two persons belong to Kumbhra near Sector-68 and Mauli Baidwan village which has been sealed since then. Both have been hospital quarantined at Gyan Sagar. And both the areas are under sanitization and cleaning and full quarantine protocol is being followed,” said Mohali Deputy Commissioner Girish Dayalan.
Dayalan said that apart from this, Alamgir village near Lalru has also been sealed as a precautionary measure because approximately 15 people from Ambala Cantt area attended the congregation at Alamgir village.
“One of those has been found COVID-19 positive yesterday at PGIMER, Chandigarh. So, 10 families of these people have been home quarantined,” he added.
Notably, only a day before, the state police chief Dinkar Gupta had maintained that around 200 people from Punjab had visited the congregation affecting 12 districts in the state.
“Most of them are still in Delhi. About 100 have been traced so far, and we would be able to give the clearer picture by tomorrow,” said a senior government official.
However, as a precautionary measure, the state health secretary has issued strict directives to all the Deputy Commissioners (DCs), Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs), and the Civil Surgeons of all districts.
“A good number of Tablighi Jamaat followers from Punjab, who visited Delhi recently, are coming out positive during the preliminary testing or screening round of RT — PCR Test. All such preliminary positive cases have to be put in hospital isolation irrespective of their symptoms and the duration of stay their stay in Delhi,” directed the Health Secretary.
It was further directed that the participants of the congregation can be allowed to go home “only if they have tested negative and have returned back to Punjab at least 16 days ago”.