960 Tablighi Jamaat foreigners blacklisted, says MHA
With the Tablighi Jamaat’s Markaz in Nizamuddin West in Delhi emerging as a hotspot of coronavirus, the Home Ministry has cancelled the visas of 960 Tablighi Jamaat foreigners and blacklisted them. Earlier, an MHA official said about 9,000 Tablighi Jamaat members and their primary contacts have been quarantined till now in the country.
Meanwhile, 328 coronavirus cases have been reported in the last 24 hours in India, taking the overall infections to 1955, whereas the toll stood at 50. The Home Ministry directed states and Union Territories to book under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Disaster Management Act, 2005 people who violate lockdown rules or make false claims.
In his meeting with chief ministers of various states on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in the next few weeks testing, tracing, isolation and quarantine should remain the focus areas. “Imperative to work on a war footing, identify COVID-19 hotspots, encircle them, ensure the virus doesn’t spread,” PM Modi further said. Later in the day, PM Modi tweeted that he would share a video message with fellow Indians tomorrow at 9 am.
Globally, confirmed coronavirus cases approached one million on Thursday. Since emerging in China in December, COVID-19 has infected more than 940,000 people — including at least 500,000 in Europe — and claimed more than 47,000 lives, according to AFP. Spain said on Thursday it had suffered a record 950 deaths in 24 hours, bringing the total number of fatalities to 10,003.
INDIAN EXPRESS
