32 Test Positive For Coronavirus In Andhra, Telangana After Attending Nizamuddin Tablighi Jamaat Event

At least 32 persons in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have tested Coronavirus (Covid-19) positive after attending the Nizamuddin Banglewali Markaz congregation in the last 36 hours.

Earlier, six persons have died due to Coronavirus in Telangana after being infected with the pandemic Covid-19 when they attended the Markaz congregation in the middle of this month.

A bulletin from the Andhra Pradesh Department of Health and Family Welfare said that 13 of 17 persons who tested positive for Coronavirus today (31 March) had attended the Nizamuddin Tablighi Jamaat congregation.

A hue and cry has been raised by mainstream media over the last two days over the Aalami Mashwara, an Islamic event staged by Tablighi Jamaat, at the Banglewali Markaz (Dargah) in Delhi’s Nizamuddin.

Andhra Pradesh was the first State which reported a Coronavirus case after attending the Banglewali Mashwara on 24 March. Cases of those having attended the Nizamuddin congregation and testing positive for Covid-19 were higher in Prakasam district.

With these new cases, a total of 40 persons have tested positive for Coronavirus in Andhra Pradesh, where nearly 30,000 are in home quarantine conditions after returning from abroad. One person has recovered and no death has been reported till now.

In neighbouring Telangana, 15 more persons - those who attended the Tablighi congregation and their relatives - tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday (31 March).

In addition, the Telangana Government has identified over 1,000 persons who had come in contact with those who attended the Markaz congregation in Nizamuddin.

Telangana Today reported that about 600 of these were from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. Both these States have witnessed a sudden surge in the Coronavirus cases, particularly after those who attended the congregation developed symptoms for the pandemic.

On Monday (30 March), Telangana reported the death of five persons who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event.

Two persons in Kurnool, who are family members of one of the contacts of a group of Indonesian Tablighi Jamaat preachers, have tested positive for Coronavirus.

Ten of the 13-member Indonesian preacher group are being treated for Coronavirus at the Government-run Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad last week.

The Tablighi Jamaat congregation has become the focal point for the pandemic to spread to other parts of the country. Participants at the congregation had come in contact reportedly with infected Malaysian and Indonesian preachers.

At least 10 persons have died due to Coronavirus infection from the congregation, while over 300 are reported to have tested positive since attending this. Of the 10 dead, six are from Telangana.

Telangana along with Tamil Nadu had raised an alarm over those who attended the Banglewali Markaz event testing Covid-19 positive.

The Hans India reported that 421 persons from the State had attended the Nizamuddin event, though some reports put the number of those who went from Hyderabad at 55 without any providing full details on Telangana.

So far, Telangana has reported 92 of the 1,585 cases in the country. Of the 92, 14 have recovered, while eight died. Nearly 14,500 persons are under home quarantine conditions after having returned from abroad.