Jaipur, April 2 Nine new cases have been reported from Rajasthan including a Jhunjunu patient who had attended the Tablighi meet in Delhi last month, taking the tally to 129 in the state, said health officials on Thursday.
Out of the total nine, seven positive cases of COVID-19 have been reported from Jaipur's Ramganj and one each in Jhunjhunu and Jodhpur also, reported the health officials, adding that the total count in the state is 129, including 18 evacuees from Iran who are in Jodhpur.
The Jhunjhunu patient is a member of Tablighi Jamat who went to Delhi recently, said Additional Chief Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh.
On Wednesday, 13 patients had tested positive from same locality in Jaipur. Ten other patients were also reported from Ramganj on Tuesday, which has now made this place another hotspot from Rajasthan after Bhilwara, which had 26 positive cases spread after a doctor got infected in a private hospital. Ramganj now has 33 positive patients of the total of 41 in Jaipur.
Singh further said, "All seven positive patients are close contact of the person who was the first one to test positive in Ramganj. He has transmitted the disease to 17 of his close contacts till now."
This person had come from Oman and was advised home quarantine himself. However, he continued meeting his friends and families and infected his friend a day after, then his mother and son tested positive and now 17 of his family members are corona patients.
"It again proves that isolation and social distancing is the key in this battle.
Please abide. It's in everyone's interest," Singh added.
Meanwhile, Additional Chief Secretary Home Rajeev Swaroop on Wednesday night appealed all residents of Ramganj to cooperate with health teams who are visiting the locality to conduct family surveys.
Quoting 13 patients who tested positive, he said, "We had already sealed the area on Tuesday evening looking at such possibility."
He also appealed all to follow government guidelines during lockdown and refrain from attending any religious gatherings.
Swaroop said that 11 people were arrested on Tuesday for attending a religious gathering in Ajmer as around 70 people had participated in this event.
He also appealed people to inform the authorities if they come to know about any Tablighi member who has returned in their area recently.
( With inputs from IANS )