With the unlock guidelines in Tamil Nadu progressing in stages and the reopening of workplaces, public health officials claim that several air-conditioned offices have become COVID-19 clusters across the State. They added that the spread in such places is faster due to lack of adequate ventilation, especially departmental stores, jewellery shops and clothing stores, which record high footfall.
Chennai:
In the first week of August, a jewellery store in Coimbatore reported more than 10 cases of coronavirus in the same branch after one of the employees turned positive due to contact with a kin of an infected patient. Similarly, a corporate office in Chennai had reported more than 20 positive cases after a formal gathering of 50 people.
“The spread of COVID-19 is enhanced when there is lack of ventilation. With relaxations in restrictions and permission to allow 100 per cent workforce from offices, the management should keep the ventilation system under constant check,” said former public health director and expert Dr K Kolandaisamy. With a spike in the cases of workplace clusters, several corporate offices have again insisted on continuing work-from-home, said a few corporate managers in the city.
Senior officials from the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine said that contact tracing and testing of close contacts is mandated if there are positive cases in any workplace and officials are keeping a check on offices to ensure that they operate as per the recommended standard operating procedures. Earlier, Deputy director at National Institute of Epidemiology Dr Prabhdeep Kaur had warned that many workplace clusters were being reported and 100 per cent mask policy and social distancing were necessary.
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