Centre tells Himachal Pradesh to trace 170 persons linked to Nizamuddin event

Shimla: After three foreign returnees, who tested positive for COVID-19, the hill state is now faced with a new threat linked to the religious congregation held at Nizamuddin in Delhi recently.

Director-General of Police S R Mardi on Wednesday confirmed that the state has been briefed by the Centre on the travel history of nearly 170 persons.

Eleven persons who returned from the event, violating the lockdown impositions, have been booked by the police and sent to isolation centre set up at Government Degree College, Nerva, in Chopal.

Six persons have been traced in one sub-division of Kangra district out of which three have shown symptoms of Coronavirus and have been sent to isolation.

According to the list sent by the Centre, 53 persons from Baddi Industrial area, 35 from Una, 23 from Shimla, 10 from Chamba and 32 from Sirmaur have been identified.

The police have been asked to verify from all mosques in the state about visits of foreign nationals and those from different states.

In total, there are 5,281 persons in quarantine and 2,000 others have been kept in home isolation.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has convened a meeting of the state Cabinet to take stock of the Coronavirus situation in the state and announced relief and other measures to help people, including the poor, those from the unorganised sector and daily wage

earners.

An emergency response centre has also been set-up in the state, which will work 24X7 to keep an eye on the situation and coordinate emergency measures.

Seventeen persons who had attended the religious congregation at Nizamuddin are in the national Capital and have been kept in isolation by the Delhi government.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri has made a fervent plea to the Chief Minister to immediately track down all participants who had attended the religious programme.