34 at Swamibagh Ashram in Dhaka test Covid-19 positive

The Daily Star  April 26, 2020

Temple locked down

UNB, Dhaka

A temple of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) at Swamibagh in Dhaka was put under lockdown after 34 followers tested positive for coronavirus today.  

“Samples from 34 followers and priests were collected on Friday and all of them were found positive for the virus on Saturday,” Sheikh Aminul Islam, inspector (investigation), Gendaria Police Station, told UNB today.

Swamibagh Ashram, locally known as ‘Iskcon Temple’, went under lock down on Saturday morning, he added.

Inspector Aminul also said police are collecting information of the infected members of the organisation and they will be tested again soon.

All of the infected are being treated inside the temple and they will be transferred to hospital, if necessary, in consultation with the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), he added.

Someone of the Iskcon members might have gotten infected with the virus before that, he said.

Earlier, the government restricted mass gatherings at all religious institutions, while Islamic Foundation gave various instructions to all mosques of the country to contain the spread of the virus.