MUMBAI: 239 out of 548 people who have died of coronavirus pandemic in Maharashtra are Muslims as of May 3. It makes 44 per cent of total number of deaths while Muslims are less than 12 per cent in the state.
Noticing the gravity of the situation the state epidemiology department has planned to launch COVID-19 awareness messages in Urdu in select hotspots with the help of religious leaders, said a report published in The Indian Express.
State officials and experts point to several reasons behind this: curbs on travellers from the Gulf came as late as mid-March; Friday prayers in many mosques continued until March 20; a significant share of the community lives in neighbourhoods where social distancing is difficult, population density is high, and access to healthcare poor.
Incidentally, only 69 COVID-19 positive cases in Maharashtra were traced to the Tablighi Jamaat event in New Delhi. The lone death in the state linked to the Tablighi event was that of a Filipino national on March 22. By contrast, at the last count (April 18), the number of positive cases linked to the Nizamuddin superspreader group countrywide was 4,291.
“A lot of people working (in the Gulf) returned home and were missed during airport screening. That was a game-changer. We noticed that several of them, although asymptomatic, spread infection in community,” state epidemiologist Pradeep Awate said.
The state public health department has roped in mosques and local Maulanas to relay COVID-19 awareness messages in Urdu to community. “We are now trying to look for local popular figures who can act as messengers and disseminate information about the disease locally. We will soon issue awareness messages in Urdu in hotspots like Malegaon and Mumbai to reach out to minority,” said Awate.