Haryana government has traced 1,277 people who attended the Tabligh Jamaat congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin area, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar Thursday said, adding five of them have tested positive for COVID-19. Of the total, 107 are foreigners and at least 875 from other states. “Passports of those who returned from foreign countries have been confiscated and FIRs registered against them. A total of 725 out of these 1277 have been kept in quarantine,” Khattar said. At least three persons out of 12 found in Huchpuri Masjid on March 31, have tested positive for COVID-19. According to officials, the three were part of a group of 10 Bangladeshi citizens who had travelled to India on a visa. They were traced to villages in Palwal’s Hathin tehsil and placed in isolation on Wednesday afternoon, along with their two translators. “All 12 of them were segregated and their samples were sent for testing. Samples of three people have returned positive, seven are negative, and tests of two people will have to be repeated because they were inconclusive,” said Dr Brahmdeep Singh, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Palwal. “On tracing the travel history of these 12, it was found that they had visited 201 houses, which have also been placed under home quarantine. Apart from this, the five villages where they have been found have been declared as a containment zone. The administration is barricading and separating that area and movement will be restricted there,” he said. Apart from the five villages that have been quarantined, namely Chhaysa, Mathepur, Duranchi, Maluka, and Hunchpuri, six villages that surround them have been declared part of a “buffer zone”. Palwal’s Deputy Commissioner Naresh Narwal suspended sarpanches of the five villages. In addition, the Deputy Commissioner Thursday issued showcause notices to the duty magistrate deployed for the Hathin area, and to the ‘numberdars’ of these villages for failing to alert the administration about outsiders coming in. “A few of the foreign returned Tablighis were on tourist visa but had indulged in promoting specific religious practices. Legal action will be taken against them,” said state home minister Anil Vij. Meanwhile, Haryana government rolled out telemedicine services to provide better access to healthcare services to those people who are unable to visit hospitals. “Apart from this, COVID-19 hospitals have been set up at 14 places with bed strength of 3000,” Khattar said while participating in a video conferencing with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said that “though, at present there is adequate stock of PPE kits” and “orders for additional 2.50 lakh such kits have been placed”, options for the import of more such kits should be considered. Emphasizing the need of Rapid Testing, he also suggested that Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) should further augment the testing facilities to effectively combat the COVID-19. The state government has ensured the continuity in the supply chain of all essential commodities, including medicines, he said, claiming that Haryana has so far been successful in controlling the community transmission of the disease. On the issue of migrant workers, Khattar said relief camps have been set up in the state with basic facilities. At present, around 13,000 migrant workers have taken shelter in these camps, wherein counselling services have also been provided, Khattar claimed. Each of the 13.50 lakh construction workers is being provided a financial assistance of Rs 1,000 per week, the chief minister added. Chewing gum banned To prevent the transmission of coronavirus through spitting, the Haryana government has prohibited the sale of chewing gum in the state till June 30 and asked authorities to effectively implement the ban on gutkha and pan masala. “COVID-19 transmits through droplets. There may be a possibility of transmitting COVID-19 by spitting of chewing gum/bubble gum towards another person,” the state government's Food and Drug Administration department said in the order. Around 13,000 persons are under surveillance due to COVID-19 and this step was taken to check the spread of the virus further. The department has also asked authorities across the state to effectively implement for a year the ban on gutka (chewing tobacco) and pan masala, which was announced in September last year. In wake of COVID-19, the department has directed officials to check the sale and distribution of scented or flavoured tobacco, gutkha, pan masala, and kharra (a powdered combination of tobacco), areca nut, lime (chuna) and katechu.
