Soon after Tablighi Jamaat emerged as the newest coronavirus hotspot in the country, authorities are now scrambling to identify the attendees of the congregation at Markaz Nizamuddin who have now dispersed in different parts of the country. In such a scenario, a statement by Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh has set the alarm bells ringing for the officials involved in limiting the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus in the state. Deshmukh has today revealed that about 50 Tablighi Jamaat meet attendees in Maharashtra are on the run and their phones are switched off.

“Fifty people who returned to Maharashtra from Tablighi Jamaat are missing. They are being searched. Out of 1400 people who returned from Tablighi Jamaat, 1350 people were tested. 50 people are still hiding and their phones are switched off,” Anil Deshmukh said.

Anil Deshmukh further added that misbehaviour with healthcare professionals and police personnel will not be tolerated in Maharashtra. “Strict action will be taken against those who misbehave with policemen. So far, 55 such cases have been reported in Maharashtra and legal action has been initiated against 180 people,” Deshmukh said while adding, “Three police personnel accompany a medical team for the treatment of Corona positive cases.”

On the chaos that occurred outside Uddhav Thackeray’s house after a tea-seller was testes positive for novel coronavirus, Deshmukh said, “A tea seller near Uddhav Thackeray’s house was tested positive for coronavirus. The security of the chief minister and his phalanx of police officers is paramount. For this reason, policemen on guard outside his house have been sent to quarantine. The security of the entire Maharashtra Police force matters.”

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Furthermore, Anil Deshmukh said that policemen have been provided with all the necessary equipment such as- PPE, mask, sanitizer to fight the spread of the contagion. The state has demanded 10 lakh N95 masks, ventilators, PPE from the Central Government, he said. Regarding the likelihood of an extension of the lockdown, Deshmukh said that it is being reviewed and if the situation remained under control, lockdown might be lifted.

About 3981 people have been contracted with the COVID-19 so far in India and 114 have lost their lives to the deadly contagion. Maharashtra leads the list of states with the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country with the tally of affected nearly 750 mark and about 45 fatalities thus far.