Some 80 Malaysians believed to be at mass tabligh gathering in Indonesia

CORONAVIRUS | At least 80 Malaysians are believed to have arrived in Gowa in Makassar, Indonesia, since yesterday, to join thousands of other Muslim pilgrims at an international tabligh gathering similar to the one at a mosque in Kuala Lumpur earlier this month.

Gowa's administrative head Adnan Purichta Ichsan confirmed that the gathering was an annual event but a request has been made for the organisers to postpone this year's World Ijtima Asia Zone 2020 in light of the Covid-19 outbreak.

"The foreign participants are already here.

"We are constantly monitoring the situation," he told Malaysiakini.

The Malaysian event, held from Feb 27 to March 1, drew some 16,000 followers

A total of 513 Covid-19 positive cases and one death have so far been linked to this cluster aside from regional cases in Vietnam, Brunei and Singapore.

Malaysiakini sighted a Facebook post linked to an organising committee member of the ijtima that recorded the attendance of 411 foreign nationals from nine countries, including 83 from Malaysia.

The group formed a small portion of the 8,283 participants from all of Indonesia's 29 provinces.

Adnan said attempts to engage with the organisers were made since last Friday to postpone the gathering but a meeting was only held earlier today as the tabligh group waited for the arrival of their syura council members.

"Our request now is for them to hold the gathering for only one day (March 19).

"The organisers said a decision will only be made after Subuh prayers at dawn tomorrow," he added.

In the meantime, Adnan said the city administration and health officials had gone to the site - described as numerous large tents in an open-air area - to disinfect the surroundings.

Indonesia recorded 55 new Covid-19 cases today, bringing the total to 227 cases including 19 deaths.

Earlier, Reuters reported that the same social media accounts were used to promote the gathering in Gowa and Sri Petaling.

One Facebook account displayed a photograph of a prominent Indian Tablighi cleric Sheikh Maulana Ibrahim Dewla leaving the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Tuesday for the Indonesia event.

Under the movement control order that is now in effect, the 80 participants would be required to undergo a 14-day self-quarantine upon returning to Malaysia. - Mkini

✍ Credit given to the original owner of this post : ☕ Malaysians Must Know the TRUTH

🌐 Hit This Link To Find Out More On Their Articles...🏄🏻‍♀️ Enjoy Surfing!