B’lore Intel employee, friend of Telangana techie, takes test for coronavirus

Hyderabad: An Intel employee from Bengaluru has notified his colleagues that the techie from Telangana who tested positive for Corona virus was his flat-mate. Following this, he has informed his employer that he will take tests to check if he has been infected.

On 3 March, the Intel employee sent an email to his colleagues saying, “As per the recent news, the Corona virus-affected Telangana techie (Bangalore based) was my flatmate. I’ve to get myself checked for any infection which may have occurred during his short stay here.”

The man further said he will work from home “for the safety of the team and site members”. His office is located at Ecospace in Marthahalli, Bengaluru.

Another Intel employee told NewsMeter, on the condition of anonymity, that his colleague did not show any symptoms of the virus. “He did not show any symptoms but he is working from home as a precautionary measure. He will do a basic medical check-up to know if he has been infected since he was in close proximity with the IT employee from Telangana,” he said.

However, several WhatsApp messages are being forwarded saying that all employees from Intel in Ecospace and Global Technology Park (GTB) in Bellandur will work from home over Corona virus concerns. But these appear to be only rumours.

Meanwhile, the district surveillance unit of the city has also taken appropriate measures to track down and identify people who might have been in contact with the Hyderabad techie. The process, named ‘Contact Tracing’, is underway with 25 people from the contact list already screened and quarantined in their homes, said Karnataka health minister B. Sriramulu. He also said most of the samples tested so far in Bengaluru have come back negative.

A 24-year-old techie from Hyderabad tested positive for Corona virus on 2 March and is currently in an isolation ward in Gandhi Hospital.