Hello tabligh congregants, the cops are looking for you!

About 4,000 participants of an international tabligh rally at the Sri Petaling Mosque near here recently have yet to come forward for medical check-up, said Defencee Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

“I understand there are concerns about the tabligh group, of which 4,000 congregants have not been tracked down.

"The police have made a decision to find those who have yet to come forward for screening,” he said at a special media conference here today.

About 14,500 Malaysians and 1,500 foreigners attended the rally from February 27 to March 1.

Ismail Sabri also noted that 83 Malaysians had travelled to Sulawesi, Indonesia to attend another mass tabligh congregation there which had been postponed.

He gave his assurance that the 83 congregants would be quarantined on arrival home.

In another development, Health Director-General Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah confirmed that 10,553 tabligh congregants at the Sri Petaling Mosque rally have been examined.

According to a statement on his Facebook page, as of 12 midnight yesterday (March 19, 2020), 4,986 samples had been taken, of which 513 were COVID-19 positive.

"A 34-year-old tabligh congregant passed away yesterday.

“The Ministry of Health has called on the rest of the tabligh congregants who have not had their medical check-ups done, to come forward,” he added.