COVID-19 scare hits Hitec City

Panic and fear gripped parts of Raheja Mindspace in the Hitec City here after information of an IT employee being tested positive for COVID-19 began doing the rounds on social media, leading to the evacuation of several hundred employees working in four companies in different buildings.

Screenshots of an email purportedly sent by DSM, a company with around 350 employees, located in Building no. 20 of Raheja Mindspace went viral on social media and were met with shock and then fear. Several hundred panic-stricken employees were seen streaming out of Building no. 20 on foot and two and four wheelers, as security and facilities personnel in protective face masks were seen directing them out. Around 2,000 employees from nine companies are said to have left the building.

Concern among IT professionals was palpable as a large number wore masks, or covered their faces either with handkerchiefs or scarves, or stoles.

“I reached the office around 10.30 a.m. and went to have tea nearby. When I returned, I saw people were rushing out of the building. It began around 11.15 a.m. It was more of an exodus than an evacuation. There was panic everywhere,” an employee of a tech giant working from the same building said.

As word of evacuation spread like wildfire, techies in other buildings too began making inquiries with their management. “WhatsApp groups were flooded with messages to check whether co-workers returned from any on-site visit or even if they had gone on vacation to other countries. All the people I know from other companies, even in Gachibowli were scared,” said M A Raheem, who works as an IT networking specialist for an Indian IT firm.

The DSM employee, tested positive, has a travel history to Italy and works with a team of 20. Government officials advised the team members to go into-self isolation.

In a separate development, the husband of the DSM employee works in Duff and Phelps, a company in Purva Summit. Employees of this company too were evacuated. Around the same time, several employees of telecommunications company Qualcomm too were evacuated. IT Secretary Jayesh Ranjan confirmed the developments at a joint press conference with Cyberabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar.

Employees working in the building made a beeline to get out with several of them wearing face masks. Staff working in the facility services and maintenance too were seen fogging or spraying inside and outside the buildings. Further, Building no. 20 is being disinfected and sanitised.

Those working in offices said their companies had issued travel advisories, including a complete ban on travel to China, and strict conditions for travel to European countries.