Covid-19: Delhi’s Tablighi Jamaat meet sparks

An Indian Air Force sergeant, who had visited Nizamuddin while the Tablighi Jamaat congregation was on last month, has been put under quarantine as a precautionary measure amid the Covid-19 pandemic, IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Indranil Nandi told Hindustan Times on Saturday.

He said two other air force personnel who had come in contact with the sergeant, who is posted in Delhi, after his Nizamuddin visit have also been put under quarantine as the IAF is taking aggressive measures to check the spread of the coronavirus.

Nandi said while the sergeant had visited Nizamuddin around the time when the congregation was on from March 13-15, it is not clear if he attended the event.

“All three individuals in quarantine are currently asymptomatic. The matter is under investigation,” Nandi said.

The IAF has not had any Covid-19 case until now. The Indian Navy too hasn’t had any case yet.

However, two army soldiers, including an army doctor, tested positive for Covid-19 on March 29 at a time the force has taken steps to tackle the spread of the disease within its ranks.

While one of them is a colonel-ranked officer posted at the Kolkata-based Command Hospital, the other is a junior commissioned officer posted in Dehradun.

READ ALSO COVID-19: 23 under self isolation as Benue trains personnel on safety, risk communication

The army last week warned its personnel that non-disclosure of Covid-19-related information, including symptoms, contact history with patients or travel to coronavirus areas identified by the government, will be considered as “willful concealment” and be dealt with as breach of discipline under the Army Act 1950.

Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane last month said it was important for soldiers to stay fit and remain away from coronavirus if they have to help their countrymen in these challenging times.