More on Covid-19

NEW DELHI: Cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba on Wednesday asked states to complete contact tracing of all Tablighi Jamaat members who attended events at the outfit’s Nizamuddin headquarters on a war footing and highlighted the risk it posed to efforts for containment of Covid-19.In a meeting held via conferencing with chief secretaries and police chiefs of states, Gauba asked state police to initiate action against foreign Tablighi Jamaat preachers for having violated their ‘tourist’ visa conditions by indulging in ‘missionary’ work. They were also advised to take action against organisers of Tablighi conferences/sermons in their respective jurisdictions.Gauba sensitised the chief secretaries and DGPs about intensive contact tracing of Tablighi Jamaat participants, which included 824 foreign preachers who have been on tour across several states and could be carrying the Covid-19 virus. This list of 824 was prepared on March 21 and shared with states after some Covid-positive cases in Karimnagar were traced to Tablighi Jamaat, followed by further advisories on March 28 and 29 asking states/UTs to locate, screen, quarantine and, if need be, hospitalise both foreign and Indian Tablighi Jamaat participants.The home ministry had said on Tuesday that around 2,137 Indian Tablighi Jamaat members had been located and screened so far.Apart from 824 foreign Tablighi Jamaat workers on preaching duty in various parts of the country, 216 foreign nationals were staying in the Nizamuddin markaz. In addition, over 1,500 Indian Tablighi Jamaat workers were also lodged in the markaz while around 2,100 were touring different parts of the country for missionary work.The cabinet secretary on Wednesday asked states to implement the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana within the next week. This shall involve large cash transfers to beneficiaries and should be organised in a staggered manner to ensure social distance, Gauba directed the chief secretaries.The meeting noted that the lockdown was being implemented effectively all over the country. States were asked to ensure that intra-state movement of goods was allowed without any hindrance, while maintaining social distance.Manufacturing of essential goods and maintenance of their supply chains should be ensured, Gauba told the chief secretaries.