At least 17 participants of a major Afghan grand assembly tested positive for the new coronavirus, officials have said, a day after the high-profile gathering began in Kabul to deliberate over the fate of Taliban prisoners and the beginning of the peace process in the war-torn country.

“Samples from all 3,620 participants were taken by our health team, and among them result of 17 were positive” for the virus that causes the disease, said Saeed Jami, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s ministry of public health. Some participants were tested twice, Reuters quoted him as saying.

The 17 who tested positive have been sent to the hospital quarantine and treatment, he said.