NAWABSHAH: A Tableeghi Markaz in Usmania Masjid on the 60-Miles Road was on Monday declared as quarantine facility for more than 200 faithful, including a dozen foreigners from Indonesia, Algeria, Sudan and other countries, who were staying at the mosque.

Shaheed Benazirabad Deputy Commissioner Ibrar Ahmed Jaffar issued an order to declare mosque as quarantine centre and appointed assistant commissioner as its in-charge. The decision was taken after a number of Tableeghi Jamaat members in other cities of the province tested positive for Covid-19, said sources.

Dr Daulat Jamali at district health office informed journalists that samples of 17 preachers were taken for the virus test and an ambulance was parked outside the mosque in case it was needed in an emergency.

Meanwhile, Jam Sahab police also shifted 12 more persons from a local mosque to the Usmania Masjid as lockdown continued in the district with all markets and bazaars completely closed and personnel of police and Rangers patrolling the streets.

31 Tableeghi Jamaat members test positive for coronavirus

HYDERABAD: A surprising number of 31 out of 106 Tableeghi Jamaat members, whose samples were collected at Noor Masjid a day before, tested positive for coronavirus on Monday evening, raising number of the total virus infected jamaat members to 34 so far, according to laboratory reports.

The number of confirmed virus cases of Hyderabad stands at five and with the 31 new cases, the number of total cases including those who were not residents of Hyderabad but tested here for one or the other reason has risen to 43.

The 106 tests were carried out in Hyderabad after samples of 210 men were collected at Noor Masjid on Sunday. The 31 positive cases included some foreigners and it is around 30pc of the total tests (106 cases).

According to unconfirmed reports tests of another 63 jamaat members which had been sent to Karachi have turned out to be positive for the virus but Sindh health department’s spokesman Meeran Yusuf declined to confirm it.

“My fears proved right,” reacted Sharjeel Inam Memon, Sindh government’s focal person for coronavirus in Hyderabad. Memon had said in a tweet on March 29 that “it is my humble request to all religious scholars to stop Tableeghi Jamaat teams from visiting different cities. They are visiting in groups of hundreds of people and living in mosques. Unfortunately, after examination some of them did test positive”.

He said that the government was acquiring space at another private hospital off Hala Naka Road for setting up more isolation wards.

After collection of samples of 210 members of Tableeghi Jamaat, health authorities shifted 90 of them to Labour Colony flats which were declared a quarantine facility and 70 were shifted to Rajputana Hospital isolation ward.

The confirmed Covid-19 patients would be shifted to the isolation ward in order to segregate them from those in quarantine.

Meanwhile, 22 suspected coronavirus patients are staying in Kohsar quarantine facility, according to hospital in-charge Dr Suresh. They included a female official of National Bank of Pakistan regional office Hyderabad who contracted the virus after she came into contact with another officer who tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday. The regional office was closed for customers and staff as precautionary measures.

Kohsar hospital staff also collected 30 samples including those of 19 doctors and paramedics who handled Covid-19 positive patients at the hospital.

SUKKUR: All 442 members of Tableeghi Jamaat, majority among them foreigners, were undergoing tests Yusuf Masjid, which had been declared as quarantine centre.

Sukkur emir of Tableeghi Jamaat asked all jamaat members staying in different mosques to come to Yusuf Masjid and quarantine themselves. The emir said that no one would leave the mosque which had been converted into quarantine centre.

MIRPURKHAS: The district administration was reportedly being pressurised by local political personalities to distribute ration bags meant for the deserving daily-wagers among their voters and supporters.

Sources told Dawn on Monday that after the administration received Rs20 million for ration bags leaders of political parties had started pressurising the officers concerned. The number of people on the list had more than doubled and Rs20m would be insufficient for them, said the officers.

Fleeing Covid-19 patient caught

UMERKOT: A suspected patient of Covid-19, a 35-year-old man who had been fleeing from police, media and health department since he arrived here from Karachi a week before, was finally caught near Shahani Abad. He was brought to isolation ward at health department and then shifted to Hyderabad.

Thari woman dies after contracting Congo virus

MITHI: 50-year-old Naimat Rahimoon from Edani village near Dahli town, who was diagnosed with Congo virus, died at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre in Karachi on Monday.

She was first brought to rural health centre in Chhachhro town from where she was referred to Karachi two days back.

The village residents told journalists that health officials should send teams to the village for proper vaccination of people. A cattle trader had also died after contracting Congo virus in the area a few months ago.

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2020