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Bareilly, UP: 200 ‘devotees’ evacuated from Dargah where they were hiding for 10 days, Dargah sanitized and shut down

OpIndia Staff
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Bareilly, UP: 200 ‘devotees’ evacuated from Dargah where they were hiding for 10 days, Dargah sanitized and shut down

Two hundred ‘devotees’ have been evacuated from a Dargah in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh where they were allegedly hiding for the past ten days. The ‘devotees’ are apparently from all over India and were apparently stuck at the Dargah due to the lockdown imposed across the country. But it is not yet clear whether they were hiding hand ere or trying to evade the law. For now, the Dargah has been evacuated, sanitized and shut down.

The caretaker of the Dargah had apparently informed the Police on the 22nd of March mentioning the fact that these people had to be evacuated. However, the Police had apparently not responded then. They have now been sent to their homes. They were screened for symptoms prior to that. According to the Police, on Thursday, they received information that around 150-200 people were present at the Shahdana Wali Dargah in Bareilly. Subsequently, the Police reached the spot with officials of the health department.

The authorities observed that social distancing norms weren’t practiced by the ‘devotees’ inside the Dargah. It is also suspected that some of them are infected with the Wuhan Coronavirus. ASP Abhishek Verma said that apart from worship, people also come to the Dargah for treatment. The evacuated individuals have been ordered to quarantine themselves. It will be investigated whether the authorities of the Dargah had submitted any application and whether any action was taken regarding the same.

Recently, more more than a thousand clerics of the Tablighi Jamaat were discovered hiding inside the Markaz Nizamuddin in Delhi. The gathering was entirely responsible for the recent spike in the number of Coronavirus cases across the country. A significant number of them have also died after attending an Islamic event at the Markaz Nizamuddin.

COVID-19 test kits to be supplied to the United Kingdom found to be contaminated with Coronavirus

OpIndia Staff
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COVID-19 test kits to be supplied to the United Kingdom found to be contaminated with Coronavirus

The attempt by Britain to ramp up mass coronavirus testing has suffered a huge setback as key components ordered from global suppliers have found out to be contaminated with coronavirus, reports Telegraph.

According to the report, the coronavirus test kits that were to be sent to the United Kingdom were found to be contaminated with COVID-19. This comes at a time when the UK is ramping up efforts to boost testing in the country. The country has now reached out to private companies to help make test kits.

Following the detection of traces of the virus in the parts, the laboratories across the country have been warned to expect a delay.

One of the suppliers – the Luxembourg-based firm Eurofins – sent an email to government laboratories in the UK warning that delivery of key components called “probes and primers” had been contaminated with coronavirus and deliveries would be delayed. The firm admitted there had been an issue and insisted other private providers had suffered the same problem.

However, there is no exact information on how the contamination has occurred. The senior health officers have stated that the delay would not significantly affect the UK’s testing programme.

The United Kingdom has been one of the highest affected countries due to the Chinese pandemic COVID-19, which is evident with both the country’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock tested positive for the Chinese coronavirus.

Meanwhile, out of the 63,194 people tested in United Kingdom, 33,718 have been confirmed positive. 2,921 have succumbed to the Chinese pandemic in United Kingdom.

Amidst rising Coronavirus cases, Kerala govt relaxes lockdown norms in the state: Here are the details

Jinit Jain
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Amidst rising Coronavirus cases, Kerala govt relaxes lockdown norms in the state: Here are the details

Even as the number of coronavirus cases in Kerala is on the ascent, the Communist state government has decided to take the edge off the lockdown norms in the state. The Kerala government has released a circular with relaxed norms amidst the 21 days of lockdown ordered by Prime Minister Modi till April 14.

In the relaxation of the existing limiting order which ordained the hotels to provide takeaways and online deliveries till 5 PM, the government has now extended the timing of the takeaways and online deliveries till 8 PM. Shops selling essential items, including bakeries and counter supply from take away counters of the hotels, however, shall continue to stop by 5 PM. The circular permits the shops to operate the online delivery by 8PM while it directs the online suppliers to stop their operations by 9 PM every day.

The relaxation of the lockdown restrictions in Kerala comes amidst a time when the country has seen a huge spike in the total number of coronavirus cases. While it took 28 days for the positive covid-19 cases in the country to touch the 1000-mark, however, it took only just another 4 days for the coronavirus cases to reach 2000. The steep rise in the cases is attributed largely to the Tablighi Jamaat miscreants, who took the cases to the different parts of the country after flagrantly defying lockdown restrictions and congregating at an event in Nizamuddin that saw participation from about 1700-2000 people.

However, in such a grim scenario, the Kerala government seems to have shunned reason in deciding to loosen the lockdown restrictions.

The total number of active coronavirus cases in the country stands at 2088, with Kerala state tally contributing 286 to the national tally. Among the total people infected as on date, 27 have recovered and 2 have passed away. As per the District-wise break-up of the cases, Kasargod had the highest number of COVID-19 cases at 115 confirmed infections. With 335 cases, Maharashtra continues to top the list of states with most cases, closely followed by Tamil Nadu with 309 cases.

Haryana govt bans the sale and distribution of chewing gum, asked authorities to implement ban on Gutkha, Paan Masala effectively

OpIndia Staff
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Haryana govt bans the sale and distribution of chewing gum, asked authorities to implement ban on Gutkha, Paan Masala effectively

In a bid to prevent the Coronavirus outbreak, the Haryana government has banned the sale and distribution of chewing gums and bubble gums for the next three months as saliva droplets are considered to have a potential of transmitting the deadly contagion. The state government has also asked the concerned authorities to effectively ban the sale of Gutkha and Pan Masala throughout the state.

The state Food and Drug Administration order undersigned by Food and Drug commissioner Ashok Kumar Meena on April 1 states, “Whereas the World Health Organization has declared the outbreak of COVID-19 as a pandemic, there are more than 13,000 people who are under the surveillance in the state of Haryana. It is necessary to take further steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Whereas COVID-19 transmits through droplets, there may be a possibility of transmitting COVID-19 by spitting of chewing gum/bubble gum towards another person.”

As per reports, the copy of the order which is sent to all the deputy commissioners, superintendent of police, civil surgeons and others officials states, “Whereas under the law and interest of public health the commissioner of food safety is responsible for prohibiting in the interest of public health the manufacture, storage, distribution or sale of any article of food whereas the undersigned in duly authorized under clause (a) of subsection (2) of section 30 of the Food Safety and Standard Act 2006  (Central Act 34 of 2006) to make this order.”

The order further stated, “Therefore in the exercise of the powers conferred by the clause (a) of subsection (2) of section 30 of the Food Safety and Standard Act 2006  (Central Act 34 of 2006). I, Ashok Kumar Meena IAS Commissioner Food and Drug Administration department, Haryana hereby prohibit the sale and use of chewing gums/bubble gums and similar products or otherwise by what so ever named called, where packaged or unpackaged and/or sold as one product or through packaged as separate products sold or distributed in any manner whatsoever in the interest of public health for a period of three months from date of issue of this order till June 30 in the state of Haryana.”

Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh government had banned the sale and distribution of Gutkha and Pan Masala in the state.

China didn’t include asymptomatic COVID-19 positive cases in its official data on the pandemic, now to include them after worldwide allegation of underreporting

OpIndia Staff
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China didn’t include asymptomatic COVID-19 positive cases in its official data on the pandemic, now to include them after worldwide allegation of underreporting

Responding to the growing criticism for its disproportionately reduced number of reported coronavirus patients, China has now decided to release data on the number of COVID-19 patients in the country who have not exhibited any symptoms of the contagion. Till now China was reporting only cases with symptoms as COVID-19 positive cases, and those with the infection but without any symptom were excluded from the official data.

According to a statement released by the top administrative body of China, the State Council, in a meeting chaired on Monday by Premier Li Keqiang on COVID-19, the Chinese politician asked the local governments to focus their ongoing efforts in monitoring, tracking, isolating and treating cases of asymptomatic infections. The council issued a stern warning to local governments to release data in an impartial and transparent manner.

The statement read that once the asymptomatic cases are identified, it is essential to immediately implement strict centralised isolation and medical management, release information openly and transparently, steadfastly prevent late reporting and omission, determine the sources as quickly as possible and send close contacts of the patients to quarantine for observation.

The meeting report said, “China should expeditiously collect samples from key epidemic areas, carry out investigations and epidemiological analysis of asymptomatic infections, and conduct research into prevention and control measures”.

According to reports published in local media, the data about the patients suffering from COVID-19 but not exhibiting any symptoms will be released very soon by the Chinese authorities. A report published in Xinhua earlier said that all asymptomatic cases in Zhejiang, in the country’s southeast and which has the fourth-highest number of confirmed infections of any province, would be subject to the same control measure as confirmed cases.

After the State Council meeting on Monday decided to release the asymptomatic cases of coronavirus, the state-run Xinhua reported on Wednesday that 1541 cases with no symptoms have been put under strict medical observation.

The exclusion from official data of people infected but without symptoms has come up repeatedly since the coronavirus emerged in Wuhan. Authorities there and elsewhere are still finding such cases, even as the growth in confirmed new cases has slowed rapidly. After asymptomatic coronavirus positive cases are included in official data, the numbers of COVID-19 cases in China may go up from its current level.

From April 1, China started reported its asymptomatic Coronavirus positive cases, and is shows four-fifth of the people who are infected show no symptom. But such people can still spread the virus. According to classified Chinese govt data accessed by South China Morning Post, more than 43,000 people on mainland China had tested positive by the end of February but had no immediate symptoms. They were not included in the official tally of confirmed cases, but were placed in quarantine and monitored.

Experts and epidemiologists across the world had expressed their disbelief over the numbers of coronavirus victims emerging from China. A US intelligence community sent a classified report to the White House, accusing the Chinese of lying about the actual count of the coronavirus victims in their country, as a bid to deflect the world’s attention from the fact that the virus had first emerged from the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

Even in China, discontent among people had risen after the Communist Party of China released numbers indicating that the contagion has been brought under control. Stacks of thousands of urns outside funeral homes in Hubei province have seeded doubts among people about the official tally of those who have perished from the virus.

In the last few days, Chinese provinces of Gansu and Guangdong have reported asymptomatic cases of people who had travelled from the city of Xianning in Hubei province after a quarantine was lifted. The news has given rise to concerns about the total number of asymptomatic coronavirus cases in the country.

“It is not allowed to conceal or omit information in pursuit of zero case reports,” the meeting report said. “This will not only help guide the public to protect themselves, but also promote the active and orderly resumption of work and production.” 

Tablighi Jamaat had planned to gather 50,000 people for Maharashtra event, govt cancelled permission after initial coronavirus cases: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Tablighi Jamaat had planned to gather 50,000 people for Maharashtra event, govt cancelled permission after initial coronavirus cases: Report

The Maharashtra Government had denied permission to Tablighi Jamaat to organise a religious congregation at Suncity in Vasai after 2 cases of Wuhan Coronavirus were reported in the State, reported The Indian Express.

The Tablighi Jamaat had planned to gather over 50,000 people on March 12-13 at Suncity in Vasai.

As per the report, the state government had initially given permission for the Islamic congregation on February 6. The change of heart was the result of the precautionary measure, following the outbreak of the disease in the state. Home Minister Anil Deshmukh has stated that they had warned Tablighi Jamaat of legal action when the latter insisted to go ahead with the religious gathering.

Niket Kaushik, Inspector General (Konkan range) said, “Accordingly, we revoked the permission on March 6 and informed them about the same.” A Tablighi Jamaat member also informed that they had plans of organising similar religious congregations in Pune, Ratnagiri, and Raigad in Maharashtra.

Reportedly, 12 members of the group had been booked by the Rabodi police station in Thane for violating lockdown orders and gathering for prayers. An FIR was also filed against 15 Bangladeshi nationals and 10 Malaysian citizens who had visited the Nizamuddin mosque in Delhi. According to Housing Minister Mumbra Jitendra Awhad, all of them have been placed under home quarantine as of now.

Earlier, the passports of 211 foreign nationals, out of 287, who had attended the religious congregation organised by Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin Markaz between March 13 and March 15 have been seized by law enforcement authorities. These foreigners have been hiding in different mosques in the State of Uttar Pradesh. A total of 34 First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered against them.

The Home Ministry has now revoked the visas of 960 foreign nationals who had violated visa norms while participating in Tablighi activities in India.

It was also reported that a whopping 60% (295 persons) out of the new 485 confirmed positive cases of Wuhan Coronavirus detected within a single day on Thursday had attended the Nizamuddin Markaz organised by the Tablighi Jamaat. The event was held between March 13 and March 15 and saw a footfall of thousands. Even after the event, thousands of Jamaat members had continued to gather in the Nizamuddin Markaz Mosque in Delhi.

Female healthcare and police staff not to attend to Tablighi Jamaat members after they roamed naked and made lewd gestures at nurses: Yogi govt declares

OpIndia Staff
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Female healthcare and police staff not to attend to Tablighi Jamaat members after they roamed naked and made lewd gestures at nurses: Yogi govt declares

The Uttar Pradesh Government has decreed that female health professionals and policewomen will not be deployed for the treatment and security of members of the Tablighi Jamaat after nurses at a hospital complained that the members of the Islamic missionary organization misbehaved with them.

On Thursday, it was reported that members of the Tablighi Jamaat roamed naked in their wards and made lewd gestures at the female staff of a Ghaziabad hospital. The Chief Medical Officer of the District MMG Hospital in Ghaziabad said the same in a letter to the Ghaziabad Police. The letter also states that obscene comments and songs were being heard from the ward, and inmates were asking for beedi-cigarettes from the staff of the hospital.

The letter by CMO states that the staff nurses of the hospital had already written a letter to the police regarding the matter, and requested the police to take necessary action so that the Jamaatis could be disciplined. Six patients who were admitted at the MMG Hospital’s isolation ward have been shifted to the Raj Kumar Goel Institute of Technology on Friday and kept under quarantine. An FIR has been lodged against them for misbehaving with the staff. NSA has been slapped on them for indulging in sexually perverted behaviour with the nurses.

Earlier, Tablighi Jamaat members in a quarantine facility were found misbehaving with the staff and making unreasonable demands for food etc. The occupants of the centre had attempted to spread the potential coronavirus to doctors and other medical healthcare workers who were attending to them by spitting at them. The role of Tablighi Jamaat in the spreading of the Wuhan Coronavirus across numerous states of India has recently come to light. Muslim clerics of Tablighi Jamaat organised a congregation in violation of the government’s lockdown orders, providing a conducive environment for the novel coronavirus to proliferate.

Home Ministry revokes visas of 960 foreign Tablighi Jamaat members, maybe penalised and deported

OpIndia Staff
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Home Ministry revokes visas of 960 foreign Tablighi Jamaat members, maybe penalised and deported

The Union Home Ministry on Thursday blacklisted and cancelled the tourist visas of 960 foreign Tablighi Jamaat members for violating visa conditions by engaging in missionary activities while in India.

It has also asked the states and union territories where these foreign Tablighi Jamaatis are present, to take necessary legal action against them, for violating the provisions of the Foreigners Act, 1946 which might involve their deportation after payment of a $500 penalty, and the Disaster Management Act, 2005.

Home minister Amit Shah stated: “960 foreigners have been blacklisted and their Indian visas have also been cancelled after they were found involved in Tablighi activities on tourist visas”.

He also added: “Ministry of Home Affairs has also directed the state DGPs and Delhi Police Commissioner to take necessary legal action against 960 foreigners for violating the provisions of the Foreigners Act, 1946 and the Disaster Management Act, 2005.”

The blacklisting order will prohibit them from entering India for at least two years. Sources said that these 960 foreign Tablighi Jamaat members could be deported as and when they complete the quarantine or the hospitalisation period and international flights resume.

In case international flights are not available at the end of the quarantine period, they may be shifted to detention centres.

Meanwhile, Section 51(b) of the Disaster Management Act provides for imprisonment of up to one year or fine for violation of an order issued by the due authority, which can further extend to two years jail if such violation results in loss of lives.

Reports said that the Tablighi Jamaat authorities will henceforth be told to strictly maintain a register of all foreign visitors along with their passport and visa details as well as activities undertaken by them.

Earlier in the day, the passports of 211 foreign nationals, out of 287, who had attended the religious congregation organised by Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin Markaz between March 13 and March 15 have been seized by the Uttar Pradesh government. These foreigners have been hiding in different mosques in the State of Uttar Pradesh. A total of 34 First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered against them.

Charges have also been pressed against 450 people under Epidemic Diseases Act in Meerut and the adjoining areas. A total of 2,058 members of Tablighi Jamaat have been apprehended from Bijnor, Saharanpur, Shamli, Muzzaffarnagar, Baghpat, and Bulandshahr.

On March 31, the Home Ministry had announced that 800 Indonesian Islamic preachers, who attended the event, maybe blacklisted for flouting the visa rules.

A whopping 60 per cent (295 persons) out of the new 485 confirmed positive cases of Wuhan Coronavirus detected within a single day on Thursday had attended the Nizamuddin Markaz organised by the Tablighi Jamaat. The event was held between March 13 and March 15 and saw a footfall of around 3400 members. 

The massive jump of cases in India is solely due to the Tablighi Jamaat members who had gathered in the Nizamuddin mosque despite government orders against mass-gatherings. The Jamaat members taking buses and trains to their respective localities all over India has resulted in a massive nation-wide spread within a span of few days. As per government reports, over 9000 Tablighi Jamaat attendees and their primary contacts have so far been quarantined.

RJD leader and Jamia PhD student Meeran Haider arrested for instigating violence during the Delhi riots

OpIndia Staff
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RJD leader and Jamia PhD student Meeran Haider arrested for instigating violence during the Delhi riots

On Thursday, the Delhi Police arrested a student leader of the Jamia Millia University for instigating violence during the anti-Hindu Delhi riots.

According to the reports, Meeran Haider, a 35-year-old a PhD student from Jamia Millia Islamia University, was arrested on Thursday in connection with rioting and criminal conspiracy pertaining to anti-Hindu riots in north-east Delhi that have claimed the lives of 53 people and left over 400 injured. 

Meeran Haider is also the president of the Rashtriya Janata Dal youth wing’s Delhi unit. Meeran Haider is also a member of Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC). Haider is currently being interrogated at the special cell’s Lodhi Colony office.

According to the police, Haider, who is a resident of Jamia Nagar, was served a notice on March 31, asking him to join the probe in the case of rioting and criminal conspiracy that was registered by the crime branch after the north-east Delhi riots.

According to ToI journalist, Raj Shekhar Jha, Haider and his few associates had mobilised around 60 people to instigate riots in the national capital. He was also allegedly present in the Chand Bagh area during the riots. The accused had also run Whatsapp groups to incite riots in Delhi.

“We arrested Haider in the case, as we have enough evidence to prove the charges against him. His role in funding the riots and anti-CAA protests is being probed,” the special cell officer associated with the probe said.

Joint commissioner of police of the special cell Neeraj Thakur confirmed the arrest of the scholar, Meeran Haider, but did not disclose details.

The suspect’s involvement in the conspiracy to instigate the riots, funding the violence and the agitation against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Shaheen Bagh is also being probed, another officer reportedly said.

The Jamia Coordination Committee, which was forefront at instigating violence on the streets of Delhi during the anti-CAA protests, had extensively run a so-called ‘awareness campaign’ in Muslim-dominated areas of Delhi where anti-Hindu riots had erupted in Delhi.

Meanwhile, the Jamia Co-ordination Committee has reacted to the arrest of their leader and condemned the arrest of Haider while calling his arrests ‘shameful’.

“It is shameful that even in circumstances like these, Muslim voices are being targeted and witch-hunted by the state. JCC demands that he must be immediately released as all charges against him are baseless,” the JCC said.

On the day of US President Donald Trump’s visit to India in February, the national capital had witnessed large-scale violence under the garb of anti-CAA protests. The anti-CAA riots turned communal in Delhi resulting in severe violence on the streets of  Delhi. The anti-Hindu riots that engulfed the streets of Delhi have resulted in deaths of around 53 persons and more than 250 people sustained injuries in the violence.

The Archdiocese of Bombay appeals to Christians and pastors to cremate bodies of those who had Coronavirus

OpIndia Staff
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The Archdiocese of Bombay appeals to Christians and pastors to cremate bodies of those who had Coronavirus

As the menace of coronavirus sweeps across the country, the Archdiocese of Bombay, Cardinal Oswald Gracias has appealed to his followers to cremate the bodies of those who have died of Coronavirus. Calling upon the clergy of all the churches in Mumbai, the cardinal has asked them to follow their instructions issued by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation(BMC) and the burn the dead bodies of Christians who died of Coronavirus.

In a video message put out on his YouTube channel, Christian priest Cardinal Oswald Gracias requested Christians and church priests to resort to cremation instead of burials for the coronavirus victims. He also advised people to strictly comply with the government restrictions, exercise social distancing and continuously wash their hands with soaps to limit the spread of the deadly contagion. Citing the current situation in the country and the world, Gracias contended that the government might be compelled to extend the restrictions beyond April 14 and therefore strongly advised the Christian padres from organising baptisms, first communions and marriages immediately after April 14.

“Looking at the situation in other countries, the government in India might be compelled to extend the lockdown beyond April 14. Therefore, I urge all the Christian padres to not organise any baptisms, first communions and marriages immediately after April 14. It would not be prudent to do so.,” Cardinal Gracias said.

The Archdiocese of Bombay further exhorted the pastors to abide by the BMC circular, proscribing the burial of coronavirus victims and instead mandating cremations for the same with not more than 5 mourners to be present in the funerals.

“In Mumbai, the BMC has ordered the body of the coronavirus victims be cremated. Burial is not allowed. Also, the mourners are to be restricted to 5. The police station should also be informed about the funeral,” Gracias said.

It is pertinent to note here that while the Archdiocese has given sagely advice, the circular that was issued by BMC was reportedly withdrawn after outrage by NCP Minister of Maharashtra Nawab Malik.

Read: BMC directs dead bodies of Coronavirus patients to be cremated irrespective of religion, circular withdrawn after NCP minister Nawab Malik steps in

As per a WHO report, the burial of coronavirus patients poses the risk of a further outbreak of the disease but the cremation doesn’t hold any such risks. The report said that when the body is burnt in an electric machine, its temperature is around 700– 1000 ° C. This causes the virus to die and there is no risk of it spreading. However, the WHO says that if a dead body of a coronavirus victim is buried, the risk of its spread aggravates. The WHO report states that if such a body is buried in the ground, then care should be taken that there is no water source within 30 meters of the burial site.

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