On Wednesday, BJP leader Sambit Patra said that at least 40 children have tested positive for coronavirus in Andhra Pradesh. He alleged that the contracted the virus from family members who attended the Tablighi Jamaat meeting in Delhi.
Taking to Twitter, Samit Patra wrote: "At least 40 children in the age group of 3 to 17 years have tested positive for COVID-19 in Andhra Pradesh. All contracted the virus from family members who attended the Tablighi Jamaat meeting in Delhi. This is what the Tablighi Jamaat has done to Children!!"
Nine new coronavirus positive cases were added overnight, taking the total in Andhra Pradesh to 534 on Thursday morning. The number of active cases now stood at exactly 500 after 20 patients were discharged and another 14 have died, according to the latest government bulletin.
Three cases each were added in Kurnool, West Godavari, and Krishna districts on Wednesday. With 122, Guntur district tops the state chart while Kurnool is close behind with 113 cases.
With the most number of Tablighi Jamaat attendees and their contacts, these two districts are the major hotbeds of COVID-19 in the state. Nine other districts have also been classified as hotspots while the remaining two-Srikakulam and Vizianagaram- are the only coronavirus-free districts in Andhra Pradesh so far.
The religious congregation organised by Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi last month emerged as one of the major coronavirus hotspots in the country. The Delhi Police have charged the chief of Delhi-based Tablighi Jamaat Markaz, Maulana Saad, under stringent sections for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, which is equivalent to second-degree murder.
