Coronavirus Outbreak: Nizamuddin Turns Major Hotspot

New Delhi: The 'Ijtemah' or religious gathering organised by Tablighi Jamaat in the Nizamuddin area of Delhi between March 1 and 15, has turned into a nightmare for the authorities, as they are trying to trace attendees to the event in more than 18 states in the country.

Delhi police have already lodged an FIR against the Tableeghi Jamaat organisers of the Ijtemah, according to media reports.

The Tableeghi Jamaat organisers were contacted by the police officials who advised them to disperse the large crowds gathering in a confined space. During the course of the period of the gathering, sanitation became a huge issue in the Markaz. The organisers of the Jamaat meet did not quarantine foreign nationals as per the government's advisory. The Tableeghi Jamaat organisers, on their part, claim that they sought Delhi police's help in moving the large number of people trapped in the building to other places.

As a result, Nizamuddin is now being seen as the biggest epicentre of COVID-19 so far. The pressure on state governments across the country apart from the Centre, is immense. About 1500 people are reported to have attended the Ijtemah from Tamil Nadu and about 980 of them had been tracked down till Tuesday. Contact tracing is on in the state.

More than 180 foreign nationals who attended the Ijtemah are said to be in UP, according to media reports and many of them have been tracked down. More than 20 people from Kerala are said to have attended the religious congregation in Delhi and have been traced, and the government is seeking to establish if more people had attended the event. Contact tracing is being done by the Kerala government.

From the two Telugu states alone hundreds of people attended the Ijtemah in Nizamuddin. More than 700 people are reported to have attended the meet from Andhra Pradesh and while most of them have been tracked down and quarantined, contact tracing is being actively carried out in various parts of the state.

More than 600 people from Hyderabad and close to 400 more from other parts of the state are reported to have attended the religious gathering in Nizamuddin in Delhi. Telangana has also recorded six deaths related to the Nizamuddin congregation so far. While contact tracing is actively being done, the state government has appealed to all those who attended the meet to step forward so that their screening can be taken up.