9,000 Tablighi Jamat workers, their contacts identified, placed in quarantine: MHA

Union Home Ministry has identified 9,000 Tablighi Jamat workers and their contacts and placed them in quarantine across the country in view of the coronavirus infection. Out of these, 1306 are foreign nationals, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Punya Salila Srivastava said on Thursday.

Addressing a daily press briefing Srivastava said that in Delhi, out of around 2,000 such Tablighi Jamaat members, 1,804 have been put under quarantine while 334 persons have been admitted to hospitals.

She said it was a "massive effort" by the MHA in coordination with states to identify Tablighi Jamaat workers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi has emerged as a hotspot for COVID-19 after several positive cases across India were linked to the gathering, including deaths in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana.

An FIR was earlier registered against Tablighi Jamaat head Maulana Saad and others under the Epidemic Disease Act 1897 in Delhi.

Commenting upon the menace of fake news about COVID-19, she said: "Under the guidelines of Supreme Court, MHA has written to Information and Broadcasting Ministry and requested them to create a web portal to verify facts and unverified news promptly about COVID-19. They have constituted a fact check unit. Anyone who has any queries or doubt can mail their concerns on PIBFactcheck@gmail.com."'

"All chief secretaries across the country are also requested to create such platforms to clear doubts and resolve queries about COVID-19. Anyone making false claims on any matter can be punished up to two years of jail with fine and laws," she added.

She further said that MHA has written to states and Union Territories to implement lockdown provisions effectively. The violation of lockdown measures will be dealt with Disaster management Act and provisions under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).