13 COVID-19 positive cases found in Assam: Himanta Biswa Sarma

* All are returnees from the religious congregation at Nizamuddin in Delhi

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: A section of people from Assam – who had returned to the State from the religious congregation at Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin Dargah in New Delhi – has made the people nervous. Thirteen of the returnees from Nizamuddin have tested corona positive. Moreover, four other persons from Assam, who also participated in the Nizamuddin congregation but are still in New Delhi, have also tested corona positive.

Talking to the media on Wednesday, State Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said: “We’re entering a critical stage. We’ve not been able to trace as many as 117 people who also took part in the religious congregation at Nizamuddin. Their mobiles have been switched off. However, we are still trying to trace them. As many as 547 people from Assam took part in the religious congregation at Nizamuddin Dargah. Of them, 134 didn’t take part in the religious congregation, but were there during that period. They’ve also been kept under surveillance. We could trace 230 people who went to Nizamuddin. We’ve collected the swab samples of 196 of them and tests are going on. The samples of the rest are also being collected.”

The Minister added, “While four of the 44 tests conducted in the GMCH (Gauhati Medical College & Hospital) have been found to be corona positive, as many as eight positive cases have been detected in Jorhat Medical College & Hospital (JMCH). The four have been identified as Md Arshad Ali (19) of Nalbari, Hazrat Ali (60) of Jagiroad, Jonab Ali (46) of Jagiroad and Nuruddin Ali (55) of Jagiroad. By this evening or tomorrow, the number of corona positive cases in the State may escalate into a double-digit figure.”

On the 68 people from Assam who also participated at the Nizamuddin religious congregation but are yet to return to the State, Sarma said, “The Government of India has let us know that four of them have also tested corona positive. They’ve been identified as Naskar Ali (72) of Baksa, Faharuddin Ali of Baksa, Mustafa Ahmed of Barpeta and Mohammed Ali of Nagaon.”

Dwelling on the travel history of Md Jamaluddin who tested corona positive at the SMCH (Silchar Medical College and Hospital) on Tuesday, the Health Minister said that the person went to New Delhi on March 5 by the Rajdhani Express; from March 6-10, he was in the Nizamuddin religious congregation; on March 11, he along with two others returned to Guwahati and after spending the night in the Athgaon Kabarstan Masjid, left for Badarpur on March 12.

Sarma further said, “Jamaluddin, also a cancer patient, had his health checked at the Cachar Cancer Hospital; however the hospital authorities didn’t inform the district administration of the patient’s travel history. From March 18-29, he had been with his family. During this time, he was suffering from fever. On being informed by some local people, ASHA workers took him to the SMCH where he tested corona positive. I, therefore, appeal to all those who were in contact with Jamaluddin to come forward on their own for COVID test.”

On the threat perception, the Minister said, “Our prime concern was on all those working or studying in metropolitan cities and returned to Assam. However, most of them almost passed the period for showing corona symptoms. We’ve received the blow from some others. I appeal to all those who might have been in contact with people returning from Nizamuddin to voluntarily go for the corona test.”

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