SWABI: Ninety-four members of Tableeghi Jamaat, including foreigners, have been quarantined in Masjid-i-Qasim Tableeghi Markaz here by the district police on the directives of district administration, said district police officer Imran Shahid and administration officials while talking to this correspondent on Friday.

The DPO said that the step was taken to protect the people amid fears that there might be positive coronavirus patients among them.

Answering a question, he said that 64 of the group members being quarantined were foreigners from different Asian countries and the remaining 30 hailed from different parts of the country.

The police force had been deployed at the markaz and no one was allowed to move out of its premises.

Official says their blood samples will be sent for virus test

The officials said that soaps, sanitisers and all other required things had been provided to them besides food according to the health department instructions.

“All the quarantined members have been observing 15 feet distance from each other while sleeping,” said an official who monitored their activities. He said that it was expected that their blood samples would soon be taken and sent for coronavirus test to the National Institute of Health, Islamabad.

The officials said that none of them would be allowed to leave the premises without clearance by the district health department.

MOSQUES WASHED: The mosques here across the district were washed on Friday with the help of local people to protect them from coronavirus.

The directives in this regard were issued by the district administration and the police personnnel implemented them in the best interest of the people.

Hasseb Ahmad, a resident of Topi city, said they washed the mosque of their mohallah in the presence of police.

Earlier, announcements were made on loudspeakers in the morning that there should be no gathering of more than five people and those coming to mosques should bring their own prayer mat.

Meanwhile, the health officials said that the three people who had recovered from coronavirus had been kept in isolation in their houses.

ARRESTED: Police arrested five people here on Friday for organising a cockfight in Babukhel area of Zaida village.

The arrested persons were identified as Ubaid Khan, Tauqir Ahmad, Irshad Khan, Ijaz Khan and Kifayatullah Khan. The police have registered an FIR against them.

Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2020