Assam seeks list of Nizamuddin event returnees from mosques; COVID-19 cases rise to 26

Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma asked mosques in the state on Saturday to submit the names of people in their areas who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in New Delhi that resulted in a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases across the country, and warned of action if they fail to do so by Sunday.

The number of COVID-19 afflicted people in Assam, meanwhile, rose to 26, with several of them linked to the Tablighi event in the national capital's Nizamuddin area.

"I humbly request the imams and amirs of all mosques to give the list of people who had gone from their respective areas to attend the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin by tomorrow or else the government will have to take action," the minister told a press conference here.

All coronavirus positive patients in the state, except for one, are linked to the religious congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin West last month, he said.

"A new COVID-19 case was reported from North Lakhimpur district on Saturday and the person had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation," the minister tweeted earlier in the day.

The latest case has also been reported from Cachar district in Barak Valley, the minister tweeted lat Saturday evening.

He said this patient was also related to the Nizamuddin event.

This is the second case reported during the day, with the first in Lakhimpur.

"Nizamuddin is an evolving story with several cases having connection with the congregation but we have not got the desired cooperation from the mosques," Sarma said.

Altogether, 1,529 samples have been tested so far, with 812 of them having links to the Nizamuddin event, he said.

The test results of 636 people were negative but they are currently under quarantine, the minister said, adding that they will undergo further tests.

Test results of 152 are still awaited, Sarma said.

The number of coronavirus positive cases is swelling as the disease is spreading due to the infection caused by Nizamuddin returnees "from Silchar in Barak Valley to Lakhimpur in upper Assam, Morigaon in central Assam to Kamrup and Nalbari in lower Assam", the minister said.

Assam Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta urged the returnees of the Tablighi Jamaat congregation, who are still hiding in the state, to report to the health authorities by Sunday.

"Otherwise police will take stern action against them in the greater interest of stopping the spread of COVID-19," the state police chief told reporters in Tezpur.

The family members of the only COVID-19 patient without any link to the Nizamuddin event have been extremely cooperative and they have given a list of 111 persons who came in contact with him, he said.

Terming the situation "very serious", Sarma appealed to all those who attended the Jamaat congregation to call the helpline number 104 or contact health workers so that their samples could be tested and their contacts traced.

The minister said he was planning to discuss the matter with the mosque authorities.

"If they do not cooperate, we will have to ask the deputy commissioners and superintendents of police to take necessary action to ensure that they go for the test," he said.

The first COVID-19 case in the state, not related to the Nizamuddin event, was reported from Guwahati, which falls under Kamrup (Metro) district and the patient, a resident of a high-end apartment, had travelled to Delhi recently, a district official said.

The samples of the 111 people who came in contact with the patient have been taken and they are quarantined in different places in Guwahati and Nagaon, he said.

The patient, who is undergoing treatment at the Guwahati Medical College Hospital (GMCH), tweeted on Saturday, requesting all who came in contact with him to quarantine themselves.

The apartment complex with 150 flats has been declared a "containment zone", with nobody being allowed to come in or go out except in case of a medical emergency.

The district administration will be in contact with the housing society to ensure the supply of essential items, the minister said.

The COVID-19 patients are being treated at GMCH, Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital and Sonapur District Hospital here, Golaghat Civil Hospital, Goalpara Civil Hospital and Silchar Hospital.