Arunachal Pradesh registers first COVID-19 positive case

Our Correspondent

Itanagar: The swab sample of Tablighi Jamaat returnee from Arunachal Pradesh, which was sent for COVID-19 test to the Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) at Dibrugarh in Assam, was found to be positive, a senior health officials informed here on Thursday.

The sample of the 31-year-old person from Medo in Lohit district tested coronavirus positive, the first case in the State, Health Secretary P Prathiban said.

The Muslim man had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi’s Nizamuddin, a coronavirus hotspot, on March 15 last.

“The district health authority had kept the infected man at a special isolation room in district hospital Tezu, the district headquarters and all his family members were kept in quarantine room,” Prathiban informed adding, the swab samples of the family members would be collected and send to Dibrugarh for test.

State Surveillance Officer (Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme) Dr L Jampa adding informed that six more who also attended the Markaz congregation, were located in Namsai district and have been found negative.

The person reached Medo in Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh on March 18 after attending the Markaz congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin on March 15.

He left Nizamuddin on March 16 and since March 24 he was under home quarantine and was not showing any signs and symptoms even after 16 days.

The district police are on job to trace all the persons who came in contact with the person, Lohit district SP Wangdi Thungon said.

The Lohit district administration has clamped prohibitory order under Section 144 of CRPC for 24 hours after the first COVID-19 positive case was confirmed in the district.

The 24-hour curfew which has been clamped at Medo area since 12 PM on Thursday, would be in force till Friday noon, Lohit Deputy Commissioner Prince Dhawan informed.

“The curfew has been clamped as a precautionary measure against spreading of coronavirus after the person tested positive,” the DC added.

Meanwhile, the Capital police on Thursday traced 12 persons who returned from New Delhi after attending the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi’s Nizamuddin.

The 12 persons who went to Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi, stayed in the National Capital from March 2 to 4, left Delhi on March 5 by train and reached Naharlagun railway station, near here, on March 7, Capital SP Tumme Amo informed.

Of the total persons, four were traced in Itanagar, two in Naharlagun, one in Nirjuli and another five from Laluk in Assam’s North Lakhimpur district, the SP said.

“The individuals have been traced and we handed them over to the doctors at Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (TRIHMS) for necessary tests to be conducted,” Amo informed.

TRIHMS sources informed that the persons are kept in isolation ward and their swab samples have been collected and would be send for test.

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