HYDERABAD: Paranoia, rumours and confusion made Hyderabad’s largest IT Park — Raheja Mindspace wear a deserted look in a matter of hours on Wednesday after news broke of an employee, of a company located inside the Park, testing positive for the dreaded Coronavirus.
The suspected patient, an employee of a Dutch-based company DSM, had visited Italy two weeks ago and from February 28, she began showing symptoms, post which Gandhi Hospital in a preliminary test found her viral load to be very high which is a borderline indication.
This news was shared by DSM with its nearly 3,000 employees in the two offices at Raheja Mindspace and Brightspace, triggering a frenzy among the employees of other companies. The company in an official mail noted, “If you or any of your employees visited our sites since February 25, we advise you to monitor their health and take relevant basic precautions.”
Following this news, nearly 10 to 15 companies located in the 11-floor Building 20 of Raheja Mindspace began evacuating their employees and declared a holiday for all employees. In order to dispel fears, the State government officials and police personnel held a joint press conference to say that the person who showed ‘borderline symptoms’ of Coronavirus was self-quarantined and that the chances of virus spreading were minimal.
The officials took objection to the manner in which IT companies undertook the evacuation process claiming it created more panic. IT and Industries Principal Secretary Jayesh Ranjan said: “There are some established protocols that one has to follow. Only when it comes positive then they can undertake such processes.”
Earlier, an employee of an MNC noted: “We saw several DSM employees leave from the 9th floor, and soon WhatsApp groups had messages which set off a panic among us all as we have several common areas across the building where the virus could have spread. After this, our management also asked us to leave.”
Several big companies which are located in the building, including Facebook, Optum and Parexel, closed abruptly and asked the employees to work from home till the weekend. Mindspace also ensured that sanitation of the entire building was done, to make it fit for working by Thursday.
Similar panic broke out in Duff and Phelps’ offices at the Puravankara IT Park and the adjacent Smartworks’ office after news emerged that one of the employees who had a travel history to Italy and who resumed duty here had begun showing symptoms, and hence asking employees to leave the building.
While the three-floored IT Park complex was not fully evacuated as in the case of Raheja, several companies chose to shut shop for the day. Management of Hexagon then took up a massive drive to sanitise the area.
Meanwhile, panic made several employees urge their management to let them leave for the day, which in turn sent the traffic haywire in the IT corridor. Reports also came out that all companies which had sent people on On-Site tours outside the country were asking their employees to isolate themselves.
‘No local infection’
In an attempt to dispel fears among IT companies, the State government officials and police clarified that the person from the IT industry who showed ‘borderline symptoms’ of Coronavirus was self-quarantined, and that the chances of virus spreading were minimal. Officials also urged the IT companies to not start evacuating their premises until they intimate the government regarding the same.
Srinivas Rao, Director of State Public Health, said: “We came to know that certain IT offices were closed on learning that an IT employee was found to be ‘positive’. This is not true. Yesterday we tested 47 samples, of which 45 tested negative. The other two were borderline. These two samples were sent to National Institute of Virology in Pune for further confirmation. We will get the results by Thursday morning.” “The DSM employee whose results showed symptomatic of Coronavirus had recently returned from Italy and self-quarantined from February 28,” he added.
“The person was also working with 20 others, who have been advised to work from home,” Rao said, adding that others can return to office from March 5. As of now, Raheja management, post the evacuation, has taken precautionary measures and sanitised the building including canteen, lifts and toilets.
Rao added that other patient with symptoms of the virus was a sanitation worker at a corporate hospital and he may have contracted the virus it after a direct contact with TS’ first positive COVID patient.
No Holi Milan
President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders have announced they will not participate in any Holi Milan in view of the advisory to avoid congregational events
Amit Shah postpones Hyderabad tour
Coronavirus has thrown a spanner in the works for Union Home Minister Amit Shah who was scheduled to address a pro-CAA rally in Hyderabad on March 15. The Home Minister was to address a public meeting to dispel the misgivings about the CAA, but with Coronavirus breaking out in Hyderabad, he has decided to defer it, according to BJP Telangana spokesperson K Krishna Saagar Rao. Amit Shah also tweeted his decision not to participate in Holi Milan too for the same reason
Health official says
While appraising the media of the preventive measures being taken, Srinivas Rao, Director of State Public Health, said: “There is no local infection as of now. We have intensified surveillance activities all over the State. Whenever we come across a case, it will be isolated. Contact persons will be identified and will be put in isolation.”