24 people who attended Nizamuddin religious congregation test positive for COVID-19

Close to 30 persons have tested positive so far after attending a religious congregation between March 13 and March 15 in South Delhi’s Nizamuddin area.

This was confirmed by the Union Health Ministry, which is busy in contact tracing and quarantining the COVID-19 suspects in different parts of the country.

According to reports, over 2,000 people attended the religious event out of which, 334 have been sent to hospital and by district authorities after they developed coronavirus symptoms and over 700 have been sent to quarantine centres.

Meanwhile, six persons from Telangana who were present at the event have died after testing positive for the coronavirus.

Delhi Police have cordoned off the area around the mosque in Nizamuddin, and drones have been deployed in the area to ensure the strict implementation of lockdown orders.

More than 2,000 delegates, including those from Indonesia and Malaysia, attended the Tabligh-e-Jamaat congregation in Nizamuddin West from March 1-15, as the south Delhi neighbourhood was virtually sealed by the Delhi Police following fears that some people may have contracted COVID-19.

The police said the religious congregation was organised without permission from authorities.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has ordered the registration of an FIR against a ‘maulana’ for leading the congregation in West Nizamuddin, sources said.

They said the Delhi government will launch a house-to-house mapping exercise in two nearby colonies to check for coronavirus cases.