Five Tablighis test positive in Jammu, woman in Udhampur

17 more living in Sunjwan under scanner

JAMMU: Five persons who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat’s gathering in New Delhi last month tested positive for the Coronavirus in Jammu, besides a 85-year-old woman from Udhampur, taking the number of cases in Jammu region to 27 on Tuesday.
These six cases are the first to be reported in the region in past three days. With three persons already recovered, the number of active patients in Jammu division now stands at 24.
“6 new cases in Jammu division today,” Rohit Kansal, Principal Secretary (Planning and Information), tweeted in the day.
Official sources informed that five of the six new cases were reported from Jammu district and one from Udhampur.
In Jammu, all the five persons are non-local and had attended the gathering of Tablighi Jamaat in New Delhi in the first half of March.
“Five non-local persons who were putting up at Sunjwan area have been tested positive for the deadly disease. Three of them are from Uttar Pradesh and two from Maharashtra,” they said.
They informed that the five positive persons were among 22 people who were living in Firdosabad mosque at Sunjwan near Bathindi area.
“After getting reports of these people, the authorities had put all of them into quarantine. On Tuesday, the sample of five of them tested positive, while the other 17 are still under observation,” the sources said.
The infected persons are all male, aging 22,33, 22, 38, and 68 years, they added.
The authorities are tracing the contacts of all 22 persons to check for any imminent danger.
In Udhampur, a 85-year-old woman from Narsoo area tested positive on Tuesday.
Sources said that the woman came in contact with one of three persons of the area who tested positive on April 4.
The woman has been admitted in the isolation ward of GMC&H Jammu.
With this the total number of infected persons in Jammu region has risen up to 27, including 14 from Jammu district and 10 in Udhampur district, and three from Rajouri.
With three of them having recovered, the active number of cases in Jammu has now reduced to 18.
With the sharp rise in cases, the government on Tuesday also put as many as 2470 new persons under observation.
According to a media bulletin issued this evening, 37713 travellers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been put under surveillance in Jammu and Kashmir.
These include 9209 persons kept in home quarantine including facilities operated by government, 567 in Hospital Quarantine, 118 in hospital isolation and 20735 under home surveillance. Besides, 7084 persons have completed their 28-day surveillance period.
The Bulletin further said that till date 1900 samples have been sent for testing of which 1763 have tested as negative, and 12 reports are awaited till April 7.
The Bulletin urged the general public to stay indoors, strictly implement social distancing measures, disclose recent travel history to COVID-19 affected countries and report any contact with positive cases voluntarily.
It also urged people to stay active and follow short exercises workout plan to stay healthy.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic, when so many of us are very restricted in our movements, it is even more important for people of all ages and abilities to be as active as possible. Even a short break from sitting, by doing 3-5 minutes of physical movement, such as walking indoor or stretching, will help ease muscle strain, relieve mental tension and improve blood circulation and muscle activity,” the advisory said.
The general public is advised to avoid unnecessary visit to hospitals, in case anyone develops fever, cough and difficulty in breathing, seek medical advice promptly by calling on Covid-19 helpline numbers so that they can be provided correct medical advice and directed to the right health facility, if needed.
It may be mentioned that both Sunjwan and Narsoo are already declared as 24 hotspots identified in Jammu region.
These include 13 in Udhampur district, six in Jammu and five in Rajouri.