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Time for action, not fault finding: Health Ministry

New Delhi: Amid apprehensions of substantial spread of COVID-19 after a religious congregation at Nizamuddin in the national Capital left many infected with the virus, the Health Ministry on Tuesday said it was not the time to find faults but to take action.

"With respect to the Nizamuddin area, we all need to understand and appreciate that this is not the time to do fault finding. What is important for us is to take action as per our containment process in whatever areas we find a case," Joint Secretary (Health) Lav Agarwal said at a press briefing.

On Tuesday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said 24 Jamaat participants have tested positive and more than 440 residing at the markaz have been hospitalised after they showed symptoms for the disease.

Twenty-four people who took part in the religious congregation have tested positive, Delhi Health minister Satyendar Jain said earlier on Tuesday.

Over 2,000 delegates, including visitors from 25 countries like Indonesia and Malaysia, attended the congregation. At least 2,137 people from Nizamuddin event have been identified and are being examined, the government said on Tuesday.

With 146 new cases of COVID-19 reported in the last 24 hours, the total number of confirmed cases rose to 1,397 on Tuesday. Out of the total positive cases, 1,238 are active, 124 recovered and 35 deaths. As per the Health Ministry, the remaining 38 cases are being assigned to states to initiate contact tracing.

Kerala reported 234, the highest among states, followed by Maharashtra (216), Uttar Pradesh (101), Delhi (97), Karnataka (83), Telangana (79), Rajasthan (74), Tamil Nadu (74), Gujarat (73).

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police on Tuesday booked the cleric who led the gathering, an official said. The case will be investigated by the Crime Branch, said Delhi Police PRO Mandeep Singh Randhawa.

Markaz Nizamuddin, the international headquarters of the Jamaat for nearly 100 years, has said after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the "Janata Curfew" on March 22, the centre discontinued ongoing programmes but a large number of people were stuck because of the closure of transport services.

Authorities have launched a nationwide search to trace the people who attended the gathering in Nizamuddin West, which has become the new epicentre of the virus.

The Telangana government had said on Monday that six people who attended the congregation died due to the virus.

Meanwhile, the Centre has decided not to issue tourist visa to any foreigner who wishes to visit India and take part in Tablighi activities, officials said on Tuesday. The decision was taken after it was found that about 2,100 foreigners have come to India since January 1 and indulged in Tablighi activities in different parts of the country, many of whom have tested positive.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has been advised that missions may be requested to refrain from granting tourist visa to such foreigner who is likely to use it for Tablighi activities, a Home ministry official said. The Union Home ministry told the MEA that it should ensure that details regarding the place of stay and return ticket, as well as financial means to defray expenses in India by such visa applicants, must be examined carefully before granting them tourist visas.

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