The family members of top civic officials have tested positive for COVID-19, requiring them to go into quarantine.
The officials concerned were initially asked to stay at home for 14 days. But subsequently, they were told to return to work in seven days, owing to fears that containment activities would face a setback due to their absence.
One such official has been quarantined at home, as his wife had tested positive for COVID-19.
Another official, who played a key role in making decisions on containment activities in the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), has also reported positive cases at home. However, he has been unable to undergo home quarantine as his absence would affect COVID-19 containment activities in the city. He reported for duty at Ripon Buildings on Tuesday, but was mostly restricted to his chamber.
GCC officials said they were afraid to take part in meetings conducted in air-conditioned halls by such senior officials. But the absence of the authorities concerned would affect containment activities across the city, the officials added.
The Corporation has started testing all its employees for COVID-19. Of the 1,094 civic officials of GCC employed at Ripon Buildings, 854 attended office on Tuesday.
Twenty-seven of the 36 officials in the Health Department at Ripon Buildings reported for duty. Just 12 of the 31 Council Department officials were present at work. As many as 19 of the 33 officials of the Solid Waste Management Department reported for work. Seventy-five of the 95 officials in the General Department attended office. Just 35 out of the 62 officials in the Education Department were at work on Tuesday. Sixty-six of the 81 officials of the Medical Services Department reported for work. Many have given their samples for COVID-19 testing and are awaiting the results.
Officials said the number of employees at Ripon Buildings was likely to reduce due to the rise in cases.