Kolkata: Andaman and Nicobar Islands was declared Covid-19 free on Thursday after Chief Secretary Chetan Sanghi announced that 11 out of 11 positive cases in the archipelago recovered from the disease. However, he said, precautions will be taken as per the guidelines issued by the government.
On his official Twitter handle, Sanghi wrote, "11 out of 11 positive cases recovered while #AndamanFightsCOVID19. However, the watch, caution and arrangements will continue as per GoI guidelines."
On March 24, it was found that all the ten coronavirus positive cases in Andaman and Nicobar Islands were related (nine direct and one indirect link) to the congregation at Markaz in Nizamuddin area in New Delhi that took place between March 13 and 15.
The Markaz event came in limelight after six men from Telangana, who were a part of the religious meeting, died after testing positive for coronavirus.
In Andaman, none of the local people got infected with the virus except the attendees at the Nizamuddin event who arrived in the Union Territory on March 24. After their swab test results came positive, all of them were quarantined.
Following the Nizamuddin congregation in Delhi, a high-level enquiry was conducted by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands DGP Dependra Pathak and it was found that total 15 members including seven from Port Blair and eight from Mayabunder in Andaman - all aged between 22 to 68 years - from Tabligh Kamait visited Nizamuddin Markaz.
14 out of these travelled from Andaman in MV Swaraj Dweep ship on February 17 and reached Visakhapatnam on February 20 where the fifteenth person joined them. All the 15 persons stayed at various local mosques in Visakhapatnam from February 20 to March 15.
On March 16, they travelled from Visakhapatnam to New Delhi via train and reached Nizamuddin Markaz on March 19.
Further inquiry revealed that from March 19-23, they stayed in Nizamuddin and attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation.
In the meantime, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a nationwide lockdown and in a hurry seven out of the fifteen members took a Vistara flight to Port Blair while other two boarded an IndiGo flight, all on March 24 from Delhi airport.
All the 9 members reached Port Blair and after screening they were sent into hospital quarantine as they showed COVID-19 symptoms.
Before being put in quarantine, one of the members was at home isolation and came in contact with his wife. Later, his wife also tested positive for Covid-19.
Total 10 persons including the wife were kept at GB Pant Hospital under isolation.
On March 30, Sanghi confirmed 10 positive Covid-19 cases in Andaman and claimed that all belong to the same group. It was because of Sanghi's prompt action that travellers were identified and sent to quarantine wards in Port Blair, which helped the local administration in bringing the situation under control.
Presently, 6 from Port Blair, who also attended the congregation at Markaz in Nizamuddin along with rest of the group members, are admitted at quarantine wards at AIIMS in New Delhi.