New Delhi, Mar 31: As many as 24 people who took part in the Tablighi Markaz in the Nizamuddin mosque tested positive for COVID-19, sources said here on Tuesday.
Of the 24 who tested positive, nine have succumbed in various parts of the country.
Such an event taking place despite the lockdown, is nothing less than a serious crime, and therefore, strict action against the guilty will be taken, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said during his address this morning.
The Kejriwal government has recommended the Lieutnant Governor of Delhi LG for a strict action in this regard.
Meanwhile, Delhi Police has said that action will be taken against those responsible for not complying with government advise during the lockdown and they will be booked, while close monitoring of the areas around the Mosque is being maintained.
So far, around 335 have been sent to different hospitals form the Mosque and 1,033 evacuated from the place.
A total of about 1500 to 1700 people were present at the Markaz, and 700 out of them have been quarantined.
On Monday, when the matter got highlighted in the media, around 200 persons were taken to different hospitals for Coronavirus testing.
Out of the 1,700 people who stayed at the mosque, about 300 are being suspected to be infected from COVID-19, as they suffered from issues like, cold, cough, congestion and others.
Meanwhile, the police have cordoned off the area and are also monitoring the situation and people’s movements with the use of drones.
Around 2,000 people were present at the Markaz before the lockdown, while some had left for different states, a local of the area had said.
Those who were there at the Markaz and left, initially six people out of them were found to be COVID 19 positive, while one person had died.
Teams of Delhi Police, Health Department and WHO are jointly worked in co-ordination to evacuate people from the place with utmost precaution and arrangement.
According to a police official, even before the lock-down was announced, it had been advised to the people here to disperse the crowds and practice social distancing, however, people did not listen.
Majority of the people who stayed here during the Markaz were above 60 years of age.
The people admitted for the test are from countries, including Bangladesh, Srilanka, Afghanistan, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, England and other nations in total amounting to around 100 foreign nationals.
The Markaz people not only took the lockdown lightly but also the disease at the same time, police said. (UNI)
