Ten employees of pharma company Jubilant Life Sciences in Nanjangud near Mysuru in Karnataka have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last ten days, prompting authorities to ask over 1,000-member staff of the firm to be strictly home quarantined.

The authorities are also investigating how the first employee contracted the coronavirus, since the patient has claimed he did not have a travel history. This is also probably the first cluster outbreak in the state.

"The first employee tested positive on March 26th, but had been going to the office before that. Five more cases were reported soon after and, yesterday, four more employees have been tested positive. The numbers could go up,” said Dr R Venkatesh, district health officer, Mysuru.

Two more COVID-19 positive cases have emerged in Mysuru since Monday, but they were not related to the pharma company and had returned from Dubai, the official said.

The authorities are now investigating whether any foreign delegates had travelled to the pharma company’s campus in Nanjangud in recent weeks. The authorities are also checking whether any chemical supplies to the company, especially from China, were infected, Dr Venkatesh said.

The first employee of Jubilant Pharma who was infected was reportedly part of the quality assurance team.

The entire temple town near Mysuru has been buffered and only essential services such as groceries and medicines are currently being made available, Dr Venkatesh said.

Jubilant Life Sciences said the company has suspended operations temporarily and is sanitising the plant.

“On 26th March, the district administration informed us that one of our colleagues has tested positive for COVID–19 at our facility in Nanjangud, Mysore. He is under medical supervision at a government hospital and we understand he is recuperating well,” the company said in a statement.