The IT industry in Hyderabad, which comprises about 5.2 lakh employees, has swung into action after a techie was tested positive and another came down with suspected Covid-19 infection. The second techie works for DSM Shared Services at the Raheja Mindspace facility; the company has shut down its operations ‘till further notice’ and has asked its 350 employees to work from home.

Many other IT firms have sent communication to their staff asking them to take precautions against the virus. Some of them have allowed part of their workforce to work from home.

Duff and Phelps, which employs the spouse of the DSM staffer, also asked its staff to work from home. While DSM said that the staffer was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, a top government official said a report from Pune was awaited.

With these reports triggering panic, Telangana Information Technology Secretary Jayesh Ranjan and Cyberabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar addressed a joint press conference, warning strict against the rumour-mongers.

“DSM has suspended operations only for a day for cleaning the premises. About 23 employees who worked in close proximity with the staffer are on self-quarantine. It is not correct to say that all the offices at the Mindspace facility were shut down,” Jayesh Ranjan said.

Meanwhile, Telangana Health Minister E Rajender said that the government has decided to allow private hospitals to take samples and send them for diagnosis in Pune.

HYSEA advisory

With two techies reporting positive for Covid-19, the Hyderabad Software Exporters' Association (HYSEA) has asked its member-companies to step up vigil to contain the spread of the virus.

The association, which has about 1,000 small and big IT companies, has sent an advisory to its members, giving them a list of do’s-and-don’ts.

It has asked the companies to do away with the biometric system for attendance and avoid all gatherings. HYSEA has also asked the firms to either postpone or cancel all avoidable travel.

“We have told them to shift to non-personal mode of communication wherever possible,” Murali Bollu, President of HYSEA, told BusinessLine . Several companies are in the process of allowing their staff to work from home.

AP scenario

As per Andhra Pradesh Government data, 281 travellers have been identified for further testing and monitoring. Out of these, 65 were at their homes under medical supervision. Though two patients were being treated in hospital, their samples tested negative.

In the last 24 hours, eight suspected cases have been identified including five in Visakhapatnam and one each in Eluru, Vijayawada and Kakinada. The samples collected from these patients have been sent to Hyderabad for examination.

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