In the largest spike in cases in a single day so far, Tamil Nadu reported 57 positive cases of the coronavirus on Tuesday. Of those who tested positive, 50 persons, according to Health Secretary Beela Rajesh, are linked to a conference of Islamic preachers belonging to the Tablighi Jamaat in New Delhi. The event was held on March 8, 9 and 10.
The total number of cases in the state has now shot up to 124. Of the 45, 22 persons are from Tirunelveli district, 18 from Namakkal district, four from Kanyakumari and one from Thoothukudi district. The patients, according to the Health Department, are all stable.
“Today evening alone we have found 45 cases are positive. There are 1,500 members who attended a conference in Delhi recently. Out of these 1,500 members, 1,113 returned to Tamil Nadu. The rest of them stayed behind in New Delhi. Of those who returned, we have identified 515 across several districts. These 515 have been put under home quarantine and have been stamped. Of the 50 (new) cases, five were discovered in the morning,” said Health Secretary Beela Rajesh.
She appealed to those who had attended the conference, for the sake of the public and their own families, to come forward and declare themselves. From the government’s side, efforts are being made to track down participants in the conference with the help of the police. A door to door survey is also being conducted in the districts with patients to track down other members who took part in the conference.
“Some of them (patients) have travelled by flight, others by train. Some of them have even gone to another state and come,” she revealed. “February 15 was the benchmark, since then we have been checking where large gatherings were held through the police and intelligence,” she added.
The Health Secretary maintained that the state was battling a medical emergency and that necessary testing was being done to fight the pandemic.