Filipino delegates to religious gathering in Malaysia urged to undergo quarantine
Published on: Wednesday, March 18, 2020
By: Manila Bulletin
Photo: Manilla Bulletin
COTABATO CITY: The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) and the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) are currently tracing the whereabouts of at least 125 Islamic (tabligh) preachers from the Philippines, who attended global gathering in Malaysia and were blamed as source of coronavirus infections in the host country.“We are pleading to them (delegates) to come out and undergo quarantine. Their relatives or friends should also tip government authorities on the whereabouts of the concerned tabligh members,” NCMF spokesman Jun Antono-Datu Ramos announced Tuesday.ADVERTISEMENT
Malaysian newspaper quoted the Malaysian Health Ministry as disclosing the discovery of 125 new cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) that brought to 553 the total number of cases in the Asian Muslim nations
It cited an initial investigation report from Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Adham Baba, who confirmed that out of the 125 new cases, 95 were linked to the global ”ijtima” at Masjid Jamek Sri Petaling in Malaysia.
In his Facebook advisory, Datu Ramos said the ijtima was held from February 27 to March 1, and had gathered 16,000 tabligh members from different countries.
“There were 215 attendees from the Philippines, mostly from BARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao), who were in the religious gathering in Malaysia. We are asking them to please contact immediately the local health units, observe self- quarantine, and cooperate (in the) the contact tracing,” he said.ADVERTISEMENT
Ijtima is a periodic global gathering of tabligh movement members engaged in spreading the true essence of Islam as a peaceful religion and way of life.
The Philippines, notably BARMM, had hosted past ijtima gatherings.
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The NCMF suspended on Monday the conduct of ijtima amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ramos said, one of the 125 tabligh-participants in the Malaysian episode was a resident of Lanao del Sur, and was tested positive for Covid-19 “while confined in Cotabato.”Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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He did not specify whether South Cotabato, North Cotabato or Cotabato City was the location of the patient’s place of confinement.
Cotabato City launched on Monday community quarantine.