BENGALURU: Two Covid-19 clusters were detected in two small-scale industries at Abbigere, near the industrial area in Shettihalli (Ward 12) of Dasarahalli zone in Bengaluru. They are the first-ever clusters detected in industries or workplaces in the past five months, after the onset of the third Covid wave.
Thirty employees of Lakshmi Industries and eight employees of Venkateshwara Enterprises, both engaged in the manufacture of gunny bags, tested positive for Covid-19 in RT-PCR tests. The industries are located adjacent to each other, and owned by the same person.
Following the outbreak, both units were sealed. All those who tested positive are home isolated. Lakshmi Industries has 50 employees, of whom 40 were tested, and reports of 29 men and one woman came positive. All are in the age group of 21-41. Only 5 were symptomatic.
All 35 employees of Venkateshwara Enterprises were tested, and five men and three women tested positive. They are in the 28-34 age group. All those who tested positive are double vaccinated, but none have taken the booster doses.
One of the employees had travelled within the state. Following information of one symptomatic cases in one of the units, employees of both units were tested and the clusters were detected.