COVID-19 labs in Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute and NIMHANS have been shut for a week after lab attendants (one in each lab) tested positive on Saturday. The two labs have been closed for sanitisation and fumigation since Sunday.

Confirming that the labs had been closed for a week, M.S. Satyanarayana from BMCRI lab and V. Ravi from NIMHANS lab said that sample testing had not been affected.

“Samples that were usually sent to our labs have been reallocated to other labs in the city,” said Dr. Satyanarayana.

Meanwhile, as more staff members at Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences have tested positive, the premier institute has also stopped all its services except emergency till June 29. A 32-year-old cardiologist had tested positive on Sunday.

Institute director C.N. Manjunath told The Hindu on Tuesday that one more 34-year-old cardiologist, a 21-year-old lab technician, and another 38-year-old data entry operator had tested positive. “Following this, there was a sense of fear and anxiety among the hospital staff. It was essential to close the hospital for a week for sanitisation and fumigation,” he said.

“The three staff members were tested in the in-house lab as they developed symptoms, including headache, bodyache, fever, throat pain, and cough. This points towards community spread,” he said.

While 35 of the 36 contacts of the first cardiologist have tested negative, test reports of the contacts of the other three are awaited. All four have been admitted in the cardiac rehabilitation centre that is located in a separate building on the institute campus, Dr. Manjunath added.