The jump in cases of COVID-19 from 2,520 on Thursdayt0 3,066 on Friday is largely driven by the diagnosis of hundreds of patientswho attended the congregation of the Tablighi Jamaat of Nizamuddin Markaz lastmonth in a violation of several restrictions.

According to the union health ministry, at least 647people among the thousands who gathered the Nizamuddin Markaz, have testedpositive in 14 states in the last two days. A source in the home ministry saidthat the rise in cases in the last few days is primarily due to an increase ata particular level in the congregation.

The source further informed that because of thelockdown and the efforts to promote social distancing, cases were beingreported but there was no sharp rise.

93 cases of COVID-19 were reported in the nationalcapital on Friday, said the Delhi government, taking the total count in thecity-state to 386 out of which 259 were evacuated from Markaz. Around 1,800others from the south Delhi area have been quarantined at hospitals across thecity, in what has become the country's largest virus hot spot for the highlycontagious infection.

Since authorities traced a number of infections to the Tablighi gathering, state governments have scrambled to locate and identify those who attended the congregation, with at least 9,000 Jamaat workers and their contacts counted and quarantined till Thursday evening.

Among the states, Maharashtra has the most number ofcoronavirus patients, at 490 cases, and 26 deaths.