Covid hits Karnavati Club, but its 15,000 members clueless

Around 8 people including CEO and president tested positive; info about fresh spate of cases started trickling in on Tuesday, but the office was closed only on Friday. Members not officially informed till Sunday evening.

The office of the posh Karnavati Club in the city will remain closed until Thursday. No, that’s not the most important bit of information here. Around eight employees tested positive for Covid-19 recently including the CEO and the president, said sources. Ironically, several members of the club are not even aware of detection of so many cases, that too among people who visit the club regularly. Despite the seriousness of the situation, the club has failed to officially intimate all its members — over 15,000 of them — and caution them till Sunday evening.

Information about the fresh spate of cases started coming in on Tuesday and the office was closed on Friday noon.

Asked why weren’t club members informed about the staff testing positive and the office being closed till Thursday, Karnavati Club Secretary Ketan Patel said, “The members are not connected with the office area as everything is done online. They directly go to the gym or jogging track which is not connected with the offices at all. We do not want them to be scared or panic unnecessarily. However, we will be sending them SMS about the closure of the office by tomorrow (Monday, Oct 19).” Members who are aware of the situation believe that the management should have informed all the members so that those who may have come in contact with the infected persons as well as those who visit the club can take the required precautions. According to sources, a few staff members of the club were either hospitalised or homequarantined after testing positive for the infection. Subsequently, the club office has been closed and the entire staff has been asked to get tested. The club has around 300 members visiting daily and another 450 staff members working on the campus, as per sources.

Among those who have tested positive is RK Bhatt (81), CEO of the club. “RK Bhatt used to regularly visit the club as part of his duty. Along with him, another eight to 10 staffers have tested positive in the past some time,” the source said.

Confirming the news, Bhatt told Mirror, “Yes, my wife and I have tested positive for Covid-19. We are taking treatment at Shalby Hospital. I experienced a few symptoms last Tuesday and got tested. I was admitted to the ICU for a day. But now I have been shifted in the room.”

Asked why the office was closed, he said, “A lot of people were quarantined in the past one week because of Covid effect. Therefore, the club decided to close the office considering the safety of the staff.”


Club Secretary Ketan Patel said, “As a safety measure we have closed the club office and asked the staff to work from home till Wednesday. They will get themselves tested for Covid-19. We, too, will get their RT-PCR tests done.” He confirmed that club president NG Patel, 69, and vicepresident Jayesh Modi, 59, too, had tested positive.

Alpesh Shah, assistant account manager at the club, said, “Bhatt would have tested positive before us as he wasn’t seen at the club for the past few days. Later, I tested positive for Covid. I am in home quarantine.”

He added, “The club takes all the precautions in maintaining Covid hygiene like using sanitisers and temperature guns. But, we need to understand that thetemperature gun can’t detect asymptomatic cases. The club takes good care of us, so it is not their fault.”

‘Why close only office?’

Members who are aware of the Covid cases at the club wonder why only the office has been closed. “Why are the card room and other facilities in the club not closed for the week if there has been a spurt in cases?” they asked.

In response, Ketan Patel said, “The club’s card room is as good as closed because no one goes there. As far as other services are concerned, very few visitors avail of them. Whatever little crowd is seen is on the jogging/walking track; that too with minimum numbers to maintain social distance.”

Questions were also raised on why the club allowed members older than 65 years of age to visit the premises, despite guidelines by AMC advising against it. Deputy Commissioner of South-West Zone GH Solanki was not available for a comment.