Coronavirus: Offices in Hyderabad’s Raheja Mindspace tech park evacuated

Most people were wearing masks, while others were using handkerchiefs or dupattas as they evacuated the building.

Coronavirus Coronavirus

Traffic had piled up at the gate of Raheja Mindspace, a tech and industrial park located in the heart of Hyderabad's IT sector. Scores of techies and other employees working inside building number 20 were asked to evacuate as news spread that an employee was suspected of having coronavirus.

Though a government press release at 10.30 am on Wednesday said that there was one positive case and two suspected cases of coronavirus, many companies got word unofficially that the preliminary tests indicate that the two persons could have contracted the virus. A source in the government told TNM that the two people showed borderline symptoms and the state wanted to reconfirm the samples. One person among this works at Dutch multinational company DSM, that operates out of building 20 in Raheja Mindspace.

The company in a statement said, "The colleague self-quarantined, correctly following DSM guidelines and protocols, and notified us and the relevant health authorities. We are checking in on the colleague and family regularly to make sure everyone is ok. The colleague has mild symptoms and is in good spirits.

As a precautionary measure, we have told all other employees based at the same site to work from home till further notice. Our facilities will also undergo a thorough disinfection so that they can reopen again safely.

Health and safety is DSM’s top priority, so, in addition to the general hygiene and prevention efforts already underway across the company, we are taking further precautionary measures at our offices and sites in or near outbreak areas, such as encouraging our people to work from home as much as possible."

Meanwhile, companies functioning out of building 12B and 12C of Raheja Mindspace also asked employees to leave on Wednesday and work from home for the rest of the day. The tech park has almost twenty buildings and people continue to work in most other buildings on Wednesday.

"As soon as we were told about it, everyone who reached (the tech park) didn't know what to do. Those who had not reached, began returning home. We all began booking cabs and figuring out how to get home. It has left many of us uneasy," one techie working in building 20 said.

It was a scene of mild chaos outside the building. Most people were wearing masks, while others were using handkerchiefs or dupattas as they evacuated the building.

"There is a lot of unnecessary panic. A lot of discussion is going on within the offices and rumours are spreading. The companies should also do their bit and ask people to remain calm," a person working in 12B said.

According to the Telangana government, 45 people were found negative for coronavirus. They have been discharged and advised strict home quarantine for 14 days. Two other patients have been kept in isolation. The 24-year-old who tested positive is recovering, according to doctors.

The Union Health Minister has said that a total of 28 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in India. This includes 16 Italian tourists, one Indian who drove the tourists around, six people in Agra, one in New Delhi, one in Hyderabad and three in Kerala. The three people in Kerala have since recovered after the virus was detected.