KENDRAPARA/JAJPUR: Villagers of Aul block are panic-struck after the district administration on Wednesday traced a man who recently returned from New Delhi after attending prayer gatherings at Markaz Nizamuddin from March 13 to 15. A 42-year-old ‘maulana’ of Rasulpur village attended the large religious gathering. For three days, he stayed with at least 2000 people including foreigners at Markaz Nizamuddin.
Following the Centre warning to the State Government about Tablighi Jamaat attendees who could be potential carriers of the virus, the administration traced the ‘moulana’ who had arrived in Kendrapara on March 18. After returning to the densely populated Rasulpur village, he moved freely in the area, attended social gatherings and even mass prayer in the local mosque and contacted many persons.
When the administration came to know about him on Wednesday, officials concerned put him under isolation at a hospital in Chata and sent his blood and throat swab samples for test to SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack. Six members of his family have been asked to remain in home quarantined for 14 days, informed additional district medical officer, Dr MB Baig.“So far we have traced only one of the Tablighi Jamaat participants in Kendrapara and a massive search operation is on to find out others who attended this event in New Delhi.
A large number of people present there could have carried the infection back home”, said Collector Samartha Verma. He warned that stringent measures will be taken against people flouting lockdown norms and not maintaining social distancing during this period.
In Jajpur, another ‘maulana’ who attended the congregation has been quarantined in the district headquarters hospital.
The 50-year-old man belongs to Sasanda village under Binjharpur block in the district, informed Collector Ranjan Kumar Das. He returned from New Delhi by train on March 17 and reached Binjharpur on March 19. He was traced by the administration on Tuesday night. His swab and blood samples have been sent for tests. His family members have also been directed to remain in home isolation. Das said surveillance has been intensified in the district following tracing out of the attendee.
Sources said another person of Brahmabarada village under Rasulpur block of the district had also attended the Tablighi meet and has been quarantined along with his family members. The district administration, however, is yet to confirm it.
Markaz returnees quarantined
Two persons of Rourkela who attended the religious congregation at New Delhi and their nine family members are among the 21 people to have been lodged in the isolation ward of Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH). Their swab samples have been sent for tests. After the nationwide search for attendees of the Tablighi Jamaat congregation started, 11 persons got themselves admitted to the RGH on Tuesday night. The rest in the ward are either migrant workers or people who returned from COVID-affected states.
RGH in-charge Director, Dr Sudharani Pradhan confirmed that samples of 21 persons were sent for medical examination and none of them has any visible symptoms for COVID-19. Amid contradictory reports about the number of attendees of the religious congregation, sources in the Health & Family Welfare Department claimed that two persons of Rourkela had returned on March 13 after attending the event and spent 14 days in home quarantine. However, after new positive cases in Delhi, the two and their family members with whom they stayed since March 13 were kept in institutional isolation as a precautionary measure.