According to sources in the health department, the 26 are relatives of a woman in her 60s, who succumbed to the virus on April 5. ((Express photo/Amit Mehra)
Twenty-six members of a family in North Delhi’s Jahangirpuri have tested positive for coronavirus, prompting Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to make a fresh appeal to people to stay indoors, especially in containment zones. The Capital currently has 76 containment zones, including C-block in Jahangirpuri where the family lives.
“In some containment zones, we are seeing that some people are still roaming outside their houses and visiting neighbours. In one such zone in Jahangirpuri, 26 people of the same family who live in the same area have tested positive. They had been visiting each other even when the area was declared a containment zone,” he said.
“During the lockdown, many people are facing problems. If we are not disciplined, we will suffer. People who think this is not going to happen to them are wrong. It doesn’t matter if you are a minister or a peon, rich or poor, this can happen to anyone. Whether you get infected or not will depend on your behaviour,” he said.
Samples from 60 people had been taken from the Jahangirpuri locality as part of the government’s community testing efforts in coronavirus hotspots. Thirty-one came back positive, including 26 from the same family.
According to sources in the health department, the 26 are relatives of a woman in her 60s, who succumbed to the virus on April 5.
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“While 26 are from the same family, the other five who tested positive live in the same lane in Jahangirpuri. The area is highly congested and all of them have been visiting each other even during containment orders. So 50 per cent of the samples collected from the area have come out positive. This is obviously not good news,” said a senior health official.
The first case in Jahangirpuri was recorded on March 20.
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Among the 31 positive cases are 18 women, 12 men and a six-year-old boy. Twelve are in the 10-19 age group. Residents who were tested positive were asymptomatic and had been quarantined at home, officials said.
The first case in Jahangirpuri was recorded on March 20. (Express photo/Amit Mehra)
“The area was already a containment zone. Many of these people violated guidelines. They mingled among themselves inside the sealed area. We did not allow anyone to enter or exit. Those who have tested positive went to the house of the person who died despite strong directions asking them not to do so. They have now been shifted to the quarantine centre in Narela since they are not showing any symptoms,” District Magistrate, North, Shinde Deepak Arjun said.
Meanwhile, 186 more cases of coronavirus were reported in the Capital on Saturday, taking the total number of cases in Delhi to 1,893 so far.