Nizamuddin Markaz: 275 foreign nationals who participated in Tablighi Jamaat event quarantined in Delhi

The Delhi Police Special Crime Branch and Delhi government officials, in a joint operation on Wednesday, identified 275 foreign nationals who had attended a Tablighi Jamaat gathering at Markaz Nizamuddin in Delhi. The identified individuals have been sent into quarantine.

The foreign nationals include 172 from Indonesia, 36 from Kyrgyzstan and 21 from Bangladesh. As various state governments continue to identify and quarantine people who were associated with the gathering, officials said that the people are associated with the Tablighi Jamaat were staying at various mosques and other places in Delhi.

"104 persons who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi were picked from various mosques yesterday. They have been lodged at a resort and their samples will be collected," Dr. Mukesh Vats, Chief Medical Officer of Agra said.

Meanwhile, Lucknow Police said, "FIR has been registered against some Muslim clerics for allegedly hiding 23 foreign nationals. FIR has been registered on the grounds of violation of rules under Lockdown, hiding information about the foreign nationals, and religious preaching upon arrival on a tourist visa."

Efforts to trace hundreds of invitees to the Nizamuddin Nizamuddin Tablighi Jamaat Markaz in New Delhi, which is emerging as one of the coronavirus hotspots in India, continue as a nationwide hunt across states have identified more than 6,000 people who attended the congregation.

The Centre on Wednesday also asked 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.

In a video conference with chief secretaries and DGPs of all states and Union Territories (UTs), Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba also asked them to take action against foreigners, who participated in the missionary activities of the Tablighi Jamaat, for violation of visa conditions.

According to the ministry officials, 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 the 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.

In light of the heightened concern on the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in India, the country has been placed under complete lockdown for 21 days. Authorities have asked citizens to maintain strict social distancing to cut the spread of the virus outbreak.

As of 8:15 AM on Thursday, around 1,874 people across India have been reported to have contracted the COVID-19 disease. The virus has affected over 9 lakh people worldwide. The global death toll has crossed 47,000, according to the COVID-19 statistics center at the John Hopkins University.