Coronavirus / HCL Technologies employee at Noida office tests positive for coronavirus

Noida: Another person confirmed positive with novel coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh today, taking the total number of cases in the state to 18.

One employee from our Noida office has tested positive for coronavirus, HCL Technologies confirmed in a statement. The patient was in self-isolation after he had returned from international travel.

"Unfortunately, one employee from our Noida office has been tested positive for the novel coronavirus while he was in self-isolation after his return from international travel and hence our office is following all government and heath advisory protocols," the company said in a statement.

"All prescribed protocols of sanitisation and contact tracing have been done," it added.

The employee is currently in an isolation ward and "all measures are being taken to provide best medical care to him and support to his family", HCL Technologies said.

The company has invoked its COVID-19 contingency plan in all geographies to maximize work from home and also issued a travel advisory across the company's units, suspending all non-essential travel.

Three patients tested positive for novel coronavirus in Noida this week. A junior doctor in the King George's Medical University (KGMU) was diagnosed with COVID-19 infection in Lucknow.

Yogi Adityanath government ramped up efforts to prevent the virus from spreading further in the state. All the educational institutions, cinema halls, multiplexes and tourists places are closed in the state till April 2.

To prevent public gathering, Noida police imposed Section 144 of CrPC in Gautam Buddha Nagar till April 5. "In view of the emergency situation arising out of threat of #CoronaVirus, and following section 144 of CrPC it is announced that no social, political, cultural, religious, sports, & business gatherings shall be allowed in Gautambudh Nagar district till April 5, 2020," Police Commissionerate, Noida tweeted. As the number of cases rises in the state, authorities set up a 300-bed quarantine facility in Gautam Buddha Nagar.

On March 13, a 26-year-old software engineer from Google India, was tested positive for coronavirus infection in Bengaluru. Two employees from Mindtree and Dell were confirmed positive with COVID-19. Several IT services company in India such as Wipro, Infosys have extended work-from-home option for employees in the view of coronavirus pandemic.

Uttar Pradesh has recorded 18 coronavirus cases so far. There are eight coronavirus patients in Agra while Noida has four COVID-19 patients. Two cases have been reported from Ghaziabad while the tally stands at three in Lucknow.

The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in India has reached 166, including 141 Indians and 25 foreign nationals, as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.