800 in Karnataka to go under quarantine

KARNATAKA HEALTH

DEPARTMENT PRINCIPAL SECRETARY JAWAID AKHTAR SAID THEY HAD RECEIVED THE LIST OF THE 1,500 PEOPLE FROM THE CENTRE

NEW DELHI: The Karnataka government on Wednesday said about 1,500 people from the state attended the gathering in March at Tablighi Jamaat’s Delhi centre that later emerged as a coronavirus disease (Covid-19) hotspot. Samples of as many as 143 of them have so far been taken for testing while 800 have been screened.

Health and family welfare department principal secretary Jawaid Akhtar said the department had received the list of the 1,500 people from the Centre. “Of them, 800 have been identified and the 143 who were symptomatic have undergone tests. We expect the results to start coming in from tomorrow. Efforts are on to trace the rest of the people who attended the meeting.”

Akhtar has issued an appeal asking all those who participated in the Jamaat’s Delhi congregation to voluntarily get in touch with the department. He added the 800 will be in public quarantine and after 14 days would be put under home quarantine. “We are in the process of collecting travel history of all these people.”

Officials said the 1,500 belong to all the 30 districts of the state, where nine more people tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday.

In Andhra Pradesh, two people, who attended the Jamaat event, have been quarantined along with their family memBoth of them belong to Krishna district.

“It has been found that many of those who went to Delhi Markaz [centre] and returned are testing positive for coronavirus,” said Nandigama deputy police superintendent GV Ramana Murthy. “Tests have been performed but the results are pending.”

Chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy appealed to all those who had attended the Delhi gathering to get tested voluntarily.

In Puducherry, two people, who attended the Jamaat event, tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday while seven others were under observation. Chief minister V Narayanasamy appealed to all those, who took part in the meet, to volunteer themselves for screening.

As many as 21 people from Puducherry had attended the congregation last month, and only nine returned to the Union territory.

Health and family welfare director Mohan Kumar said the two had been admitted to a government hospital and undergone tests.