As the central and state governments tighten vigil on citizens not complying with the restrictions being imposed on them to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus in the county, Patna police have detained 12 foreign nationals from a mosque in Patna’s Kurji area. According to reports, these people had hidden in the Mosque located near Gate No. 74 in the locality, with the help of few local Muslims. These people were reportedly hiding, fearing medical examination amidst the coronavirus outbreak.
Wow! Masjid is being used to hide foreigners too. pic.twitter.com/HIigZaXt3W
— Shash (@pokershash) March 23, 2020
It is being believed that these foreigners were religious preachers and they have been roaming around freely in Bihar.
When the residents of the area came to know about it, the people protested and started creating a ruckus. As soon as the information of the commotion reached the local police, they raided the Mosque and apprehended the 12 foreigners. Police are currently raiding the entire locality.
According to reports, these foreigners have been in Patna since the month of January. They have taken shelter in the Mosque with the help of some local Muslims. Since all there documents, like the passport and the visa, are in place, no other action will be taken against them, except that these foreigners will go through a medical examination to check if any of them are COVID-19 positive, after which they would be released.
While the nationality of the foreigners is not clear yet, some media reports have claimed they are from Turkey. Some reports have claimed that they are of mixed nationality, with persons from Iran and some other central Asian nations.
Bihar has reported 2 positive cases of coronavirus so far and 1 death has been reported.
The government is leaving no stone unturned to make sure that coronavirus spread can be contained at stage 2 and that we do not enter stage-3 or the community transmission stage of coronavirus. However, some individuals and communities have been showing a blatant disregard for the government advisory amidst the health crisis.
Many people arriving from coronavirus afflicted areas have evaded home quarantine and have attended social gatherings, only to be tested positive for the virus later, as in the case of singer Kanika Kapoor and several cases in Kerala.
The total number of Covid-19 cases in India has jumped up to 415. The government on Sunday evening imposed a partial shutdown in most parts of the country as the death toll from the novel coronavirus reached seven. PM Narendra Modi has asked the people to strictly adhere to the lockdown advisories. The Union government has asked the states to initiate legal action against the violators.
Moreover, in an attempt to contain the Novel virus, the union government had asked the states to enforce lockdown in 75 districts where Covid-19 positive cases were reported and had also advised that states can expand the area under lockdown based on their assessment. Those 75 districts are spread across 22 states.
