Chennai: The Muslim-dominated Melapalayam area in Tirunelveli district was completely sealed by the police last night, after 22 of the 57 fresh novel coronavirus cases reported in Tamilnadu on Tuesday hailed from the locality.
Sources said all the 22 COVID-19 positive men participated in the religious congregation at Nizamuddin Tablighi Jamaat Centre in New Delhi earlier this month notwithstanding the novel coronavirus.
All the 22 COVID-19 patients were admitted to the isolation ward of Tirunelveli Government Medical College Hospital. However, none of them were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit as their health condition was stated to be stable, according to Health Secretary ms Beela Rajesh, who told reporters in Chennai.
All the roads leading to Melapalayam were sealed and police erected barricades to restrict vehicular movement. People were strictly advised by the police not to come out of the house unless for essentials.
The positive cases went up significantly in the State and crossed the 100-mark in view of the participation of number of Islamists, who had allegedly contracted the virus at the religious conference, organized by Tablighi Jamaat, a global Islamic missionary movement at Nizamuddin Tablighi Jamaat Centre in New Delhi, earlier this month.
Thousands of people from all over the world, besides delegates from Indonesia and Malaysia had attended the congregation, which has now led to the spread of the virus as contacts.