As many as 25 people, including 12 Tabligh-e-Jamat workers of Delhi tested positive for coronavirus in Kashmir on Monday, taking the total number of cases in J&K to 270.

Officials said 12 Delhi residents, who are on a missionary programme of Tabligh-e-Jamat (TJ) in Kashmir, were among the fresh positive cases from the valley.

“Twenty-five new positive cases have been reported from the UT and all are from Kashmir. The total now at 270,” said government spokesperson Rohit Kansal.

“The bright spark – the number of recovered and discharged cases – now goes up to 16. Tremendous effort by the doctors and all support staff both at Jammu and Srinagar,” Kansal said.

Authorities had quarantined them in Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) at Pampore on the outskirts of Srinagar.

“They had arrived in Kashmir on March 14 and were quarantined in various mosques in Srinagar before being moved to the EDI last Saturday,” officials said.

They said at least 69 workers of the Tablighi-e-Jamat are quarantined at the EDI, including 58 from various states.

In addition to the 12 Tablighi workers, officials said nine persons tested positive for COVID-19 from Bandipora, three from Baramulla, and one from Kulgam.

Tablighi-e-Jamat came under the radar of authorities in March after their Delhi base in Nizamuddin emerged as an infection hotspot in India.

However, Kashmir witnessed first Tabligh-linked COVID-19 positive case on March 24, when their 65-year-old preacher of Hyderpora locality of Srinagar tested positive for the virus. He died on March 26 at Chest Disease hospital Srinagar.

Official documents accessed by The Tribune reveal that 43 Tablighi workers, who attended Nizamuddin base of the religious group have been found positive for the virus in Kashmir.

Also, 40 people, who had been in contact with these Tablighi workers, have tested positive for COVID-19, reveal the documents of the health department.