Close relatives of Tablighi Jamaat chief Maulana Saad test positive for COVID-19 in Saharanpur

Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 16 (ANI): Two close relatives of Tablighi Jamaat head Maulana Saad have tested positive for COVID-19, according to District Magistrate (DM) Saharanpur, Akhilesh Singh.
"Two close relatives of Maulana Saad have tested positive for COVID-19. We have shifted them to a level-1 hospital in Fatehpur. The area (Mohalla Mufti) from which they belonged has been identified as a hotspot and exercises of containment are being carried out there," Singh told reporters here.
According to the DM, the police team conducted surveillance and it was found that the relatives had attended the religious gathering at Markaz in Nizamuddin Delhi, organised by the Tablighi Jamaat.
"The police team conducted surveillance and also checked their mobile details through which it was found that they had gone to Markaz, Nizamuddin. After this, they were quarantined and tests were conducted, which came out positive," Singh said.
Notably, a congregation at Markaz in the Nizamuddin area of Delhi of Tablighi Jamaat has become an epicentre of coronavirus spread, with several who attended the event testing positive and infecting hundreds of others across the country.
The Delhi Police had earlier issued notices to the Jamaat chief in connection with the gathering organised in Delhi.
The DM further said that the close contacts of the two will be identified, quarantined and also tested for COVID-19. He also reiterated the appeal for all people who had attended the Markaz gathering to come forward for getting tested.
Moreover, according to him, in Saharanpur district alone, 19 hotspots have been identified and 44 people have tested positive for the infection.
The DM further said that the number of samples being sent for tests is being increased in the district.
Uttar Pradesh, so far, has 735 confirmed cases of the infection with 11 deaths being reported till Wednesday. (ANI)