Coronavirus case in Noida: Employee of private firm tests positive

NOIDA: Nearly 700 employees of a private company have been asked to work from home after it came to light that one of its senior executives — a resident of Delhi who recently tested positive for coronavirus (Covid-19) — had interacted with several people in the office.
There was anxiety on Thursday afternoon among staffers at the firm, whose office is located off Dadri main road in Sector 80, soon after they learned about their co-worker. Health department officials were informed about the development and a team of paramedics was rushed to the site.
The patient is undergoing treatment in Delhi, confirmed Gautam Budh Nagar chief medical officer (CMO) Anurag Bhargava. “But before the symptoms developed and he got infected, a lot of people in the Noida office interacted with him,” he added. The executive had been to Italy recently.
The executive had been commuting to Noida daily, usually by a private car or a cab. All members of his team, who shared the canteen, toilets and other common areas with him, were called in for screening at the office on Thursday. Health department officials asked the firm management to call in only those people whose services are essential.
“The staff has been asked to stay put within their homes and avoid going out in public. The names, contact numbers and addresses of people who worked closely with the executive have been taken. We will coordinate with them and if needed, they will be kept in isolation within the special ward that has been set up at the Sector 30 Super Specialty Hospital,” said Bhargava.
So far, Noida has one confirmed case of coronavirus while the results of 43 people are awaited. Nearly 900 people, including the employees of the private firm, are under surveillance. Bhargava added that process to screen the suspected private employees from the company was being carried out on Friday.