Chennai's Leela Palace hotel in MRC Nagar became a COVID-19 hotspot on Monday after 20 employees of the hotel tested positive.
Confirming the same, an official from the Chennai Corporation told The New Indian Express that 20 samples came out positive out of a number of total tests and those employees have been quarantined.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) are keep a close watch on the developments at Leela Palace as three of the domestic cricket teams in the Plate group from the Northeast - Manipur, Mizoram and Meghalaya - are currently staying at the hotel in a bio-secure bubble for the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy.
Including players, support staff, match officials and the scorers, 80 individuals are currently quarantining in the hotel after arriving in the city on Jnauary 2 for the competition starting January 10, all of whom tested negative after first round of tests.
The staff serving the players have all returned negative after the second round of testing and as per BCCI's medical team, none of those staff members came in direct contact with the ones, who tested positive.
An official speaking to The New Indian Express spoke about the restriction on the movement of the players and said that the hotel is being extra cautious and the floors of the players and staff have not been open for public.
The BCCI is leaving no stone unturned as far as the safety and security of the players is concerned, ensuring there's no breach of the bubble. The kitchens, chefs for the teams are separate, a doctor and two other members of medical staff are present to conduct the COVID tests.
The Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy will start from January 10 and will go on till January 31, taking place in six different bio-secure bubbles across the country.
(With inputs from The New Indian Express)