Bihar: Indonesian group on radar after 4 Begusarai youths test positive

PATNA: After four youths tested positive for coronavirus in Begusarai, the state government is trying to trace the footprints of 10 Indonesian nationals, who allegedly stayed and attended gatherings at five mosques in the district before the nationwide lockdown was implemented.
While none of these youths have any travel history, they attended gatherings at a mosque in Kaidarabad that this group of Indonesians frequented.However, it is not known if the foreigners were Covid-19 positive.
“Even though the timeline of stay of the 10 Indonesian nationals and the four youths who have tested positive is different, but the probability is that the youths might have contacted the virus from these foreigners due to common place of stay. Things would be clearer after tests of other people in the area,” Begusarai DM Arvind Kumar Gupta told TOI over phone.
He added, “Six places in Bacchwara and Mansoorchak blocks in Begusarai have been sealed where these foreigners had visited. The four youths who had tested positive had visited a mosque in Kaidarabad after the Indonesian nationals had left.”
The DM Gupta said the government has contacted the external affairs ministry to trace these Indonesians and get them tested, if they are in the country.
“All four infected youths are aged between 15-20 years and are residents of Begusarai. They were stuck inside the mosque at Kaidarabad in Bacchawara block due to lockdown. Residents of the area alerted the administration as they did not belong to Kaidarabad,” Gupta said.
He added, “None of them had any travel history but after inquiry it surfaced that the Indonesian nationals had stayed at the mosque. These are the only four active cases in the district.”
According to the DM, the foreigners Indonesian nationals had stayed at one mosque at Kaidarabad in Bacchawara block, four mosques in Mansoorchak block and one in Barauni block.
“We collected altogether 284 samples from Kaidarabad locality and other areas on Thursday and sent them for testing on priority basis,” he said, adding, the result of samples of 28 people, who had stayed closest to these Indonesian nationals at mosques had come negative on Thursday night.
State nodal officer for Covid-19 Dr Ragini Mishra said, “The Indonesian nationals have not been traced or tested positive nor has there been any direct links that the four boys contacted the virus from the Indonesians,” adding, that two youths had gone to the mosque a week after the Indonesians left.