Samples of 13 employees of a bank in Hyderabad have been collected and sent for testing after authorities found that a customer who had visited their branch a few days ago for a transaction later tested positive for the coronavirus.
The employees of a leading public sector bank's branch in Puranapul area in old city were asymptomatic but shifted to Nature Cure Hospital late on Saturday as authorities did not want to take a chance. The issue came to light on Sunday.
Health officials said that if any employee tested positive, he or she will be shifted to Gandhi Hospital for treatment while those who test negative will be sent home but should remain in quarantine for 14 days.
Authorities while tracking the contacts of a woman who had tested positive found that she had visited the bank branch to draw money a week ago. The police and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) officials approached the bank officials to identify the employees who were on duty that day.
The bank management was advised to send all these 13 employees to the hospital for screening as a precautionary measure.
The latest development came just a day after 25 people residing in an apartment building in Hyderabad's Madannapet area, tested positive for COVID-19.
All 25 of them were shifted to the Gandhi Hospital and a containment zone was set up, blocking entry and exit into the apartment alone by setting up a tall barricade around the main gate.
Meanwhile, Telangana on Sunday reported 42 more positive cases, taking the state's tally to 1,551. Officials said 37 new cases were reported in GHMC limits. Two persons in neighbouring Ranga Reddy district tested positive while three migrants also were found infected.
The death toll remains unchanged at 34. Officials said 21 patients were discharged from hospitals, taking the total cured persons to 992. The number of active cases now stands at 525 in Telangana.
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With IANS and PTI inputs