More on Covid-19

CHENNAI: As Tamil Nadu recorded 17 more Covid-19 cases on Monday and at least a score more suspected to be infected, the state’s anti-Covid-19 machinery swung into action to trace the 980 Tamil Muslims who took part in a Tablighi Jamaat (TJ) conference in New Delhi and returned home. While 28 are believed to be from Coimbatore, CM Edappadi K Palaniswami confirmed that 10 were members of the TJ delegation from Erode.A 65-year-old TN Muslim preacher of TJ, which is a religious outreach organisation, passed away on Sunday and several others in a mosque in Delhi’s West Nizamuddin showed Covid-19 like symptoms, triggering panic among the hundreds of inmates.At least 1,500 Muslims from TN participated in a three-day conference that ended March 23. While around 900 of them returned, taking flights and buses home, 600 remained at the Banglewali masjid, rubbing shoulders with 800 other TJ followers hailing from Delhi, UP, Ranchi, Andaman & Nicobar and other parts of the country.The CM told reporters that among the 17 fresh cases on Monday, 10 from Erode were among the 981 who returned from the conference. “The numbers rose from this team,” he said. Grappling with rising cases back home, TN now has the onerous task of tracking the 900-odd Tamil Muslims who returned, besides identifying their families and contacts, screening, and isolating them.The state’s district collectors are on the job of tracking those who took part in the conference. “We have isolated 33, out of which 10 have tested positive. The operation is still on to identify the Muslim members and their families,” said Erode collector C Kathiravan. In Coimbatore, 44 of the 61 had been traced and 41 put to test. “The families were refusing to get screened. We were firm with them,” said Coimbatore collector K Rajamani.“Today, health department officials visited my house and checked for symptoms. I am fine,” said Rahamathullah from Puthanatham in Trichy.TJ headquarters spokesman Tamin Ansari told TOI that Delhi health authorities and the police have been taking the Masjid’s inmates in batches of 65 for screening to government hospitals for the past three days. “They were screening those older than 65,” said Ansari. He said the conference, a biannual exercise, was organised for TJ ulemas of every state to assess intra-religious conversions. The March 21-23 conference was for the TN chapter.