A young man in Hyderabad who also working with food delivery platform Swiggy has tested positive for the coronavirus. According to sources, the patient was a student who was working part-time with the company.
However, authorities said that there was no cause for concern as none of the people he had delivered to, showed any symptoms of COVID-19.
The family was staying in the city's Nampally area and his elder brother had visited the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in New Delhi's Nizamuddin area last month. He had returned on March 19. The police said that the issue was old, but has surfaced now.
Members of the Tablighi Jamaat from Telangana and Andhra had visited Delhi on March 15, 16 and 17, and sources told TNM that the patient's last working day was March 20.
"Six members of the family have tested positive in total. The family was in home quarantine since March 22 as the lockdown was announced in the state. His brother returned on March 19 and for one day following that, he had done a few deliveries. However, it has been a month and none of the customers showed any symptoms, so there's no reason to panic," a source said.
"The family stays at A Battery Lines in Nampally. After the brother tested positive on April 1, he was shifted to Gandhi Hospital. Other family members were moved to isolation wards in the city and later to the hospital as they tested positive," an officer from the Nampally police station said.
In a statement, Swiggy said, "We are dismayed by the news of an inactive delivery partner, who hasn’t delivered orders to any customer since March 21, testing positive for coronavirus this week. We are committed to his safety and welfare and are working with authorities."
With 18 new positive cases reported on Sunday, the total number of cases rose to 858. A total of 186 patients have so far recovered and been discharged from hospitals. The number of active cases stands at 651.
The Telangana government on Sunday decided to extend the lockdown till May 7 and not to give any relaxation. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao made the announcement on Sunday night after a cabinet meeting.
The Health Department has requested citizens to report to the nearest government health facility if they had travelled to the meeting in Delhi or contacted any attendee.
Earlier this week, Health Minister Eatala Rajender had also urged all those who came in contact with anyone who returned from the meeting to come forward.
"We can't waste resources of the police and health department each time to identify everyone. Please come forward on your own. You can see that we're giving free treatment and people are going home after recovery soon. Please come forward so that because of you again more people don't get affected and we can contain the virus soon," he told reporters.