Tamil Nadu: 4 Islamic Preachers From Indonesia And Their Local Travel Guide Test Positive For Covid-19 In Salem

Dr C Vijayabaskar, Health and Family Welfare Minister of Tamil Nadu, has confirmed 5 new positive cases of COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu.

The minister said that 4 Indonesian nationals & their travel guide from Chennai, who were quarantined at isolaiton facility in Salem government hospital, were tested positive. The total number of Covid-19 cases in the state is now at 27.

At least 16 people, including 11 Indonesian nationals were quarantined since Sunday (Mar 22) night in the Salem Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College and Hospital (SGMKMCH).

On receiving information that a team of 11 Islamic preachers from Indonesians havevisited mosques in the city and participating in religious congregations, Salem Municipal Corporation (SMC) health department officials, visited a mosque in the Sanyasikundu area near Kitchipalayam on Sunday night and made inquiries.

Times Of India quoted A Raman, Salem collector as saying “We found that they had participated in religious meetings in three mosques in the Shevapet, Ponnammapet and Erumapalayam areas in the city,”

Raman added that Five people from Salem city had assisted them to reach these mosques. They had been staying in Salem since March 11.

Among the group, four Indonesians presented Covid-19 symptoms and their swab samples to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) for confirmation.

The district authorities carried out fumigation of mosques which the Indonesians visited. Contact tracing of the people who had attended those meetings was launched and those who came in touch with them will be home quarantined.

Atleast 9 Islamic preachers from Indonesia had tested positive for Covid-19 in Telengana last week. The preachers belong to the Tablighi Jamaat.

A couple of days earlier, two Thai nationals tested positive for Covid-19 on at the IRT hospital in Perundurai in Tamil Nadu

Thai nationals, all Islamic preachers belonging to the Tabligh Jamaat, were part of a group of seven which had come to Tamil Nadu’s Erode district to teach at two mosques. The mosques are Sultanpet Markaz Masjid and Kollampalayam Masjid-E-Thaqva.

Tamil Nadu’s first Coronavirus (Covid-19) fatality had come in contact with this group of Thailand Tablighi Jamaat preachers in Madurai before testing positive.

The district administration and the corporation sealed off nine streets visited by them and launched sanitisation measures to contain the spread of virus. The streets have been completely cordoned off and public is not being permitted to venture in to the restricted area.