Amid a spike in coronavirus cases linked to the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi and reports on health workers being ostracised, the central government on Wednesday appealed to people to not single out particular communities or areas.

In an advisory, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said that health workers were being discriminated due to misinformation about the disease. “Cases have been reported of people affected with COVID-19 as well as healthcare workers, sanitary workers and police, who are in the frontline for management of the outbreak, facing discrimination on account of heightened fear and misinformation about infection,” the health ministry said. “Further, certain communities and areas are being labeled purely based on false reports floating in social media and elsewhere.”

Follow live updates on coronavirus

Read our top 10 updates of the day

Also read: Hate crimes against India’s Muslims are spreading with Covid-19

The health ministry said there was an immediate need to oppose biased attitudes. “There is an urgent need to counter such prejudices and to rise as a community that is empowered with health literacy and responds appropriately in the face of this adversity,” it said.

The health ministry’s release also listed various dos and don’ts in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. “Do not target healthcare and sanitary workers or police,” the ministry said. “They are there to help you.” The health ministry also urged people to not reveal the names or identity of patients or people who have been placed under quarantine.

The number of coronavirus cases in India have risen to 5,274 and 149 people have died, according to the health ministry.