C'garh: 13 who came in contact with Tablighi members test +ve

Thirteen people, who came in contact with Tablighi Jamaat members at a mosque in Chhattisgarh's Katghora town, have tested positive for coronavirus, taking the total number of COVID-19 cases in the state to 31, an official said on Sunday.

These 13 new COVID-19 patients include three women, he said.

Katghora town in Korba district, located around 200 km from the state capital Raipur, has emerged as the COVID-19 hotspot in the state.

The town has been sealed and samples of all people residing in the affected area are being taken for testing, Katghora's Sub-Divisional Magistrate Suryakiran Tiwari said.

"Seven people from Purani basti area of the town tested positive for coronavirus late Saturday night and six more on Sunday. All 13 had come in contact with 16 Tablighi Jamaat members, who were staying at a mosque in the locality," Tiwari said.

Earlier, officials of AIIMS Raipur, where tests are being conducted, had said that one of the cases detected on Sunday was from Bilaspur.

However, Inspector General of Police (Bilaspur range) Dipanshu Kabra said, "Nobody has tested positive from Bilaspur on Sunday. The confusion began as two individuals shared the same name and both were screened for COVID-19."
Of the 3,945 samples sent for screening till now in the state, 31 tested positive while 3,856 returned negative. The reports of 58 are awaited, a