COVID-19 Cases Rise To 29 In India

Paytm employee tests positive in Gurugram; all international passengers to be screened

Fifteen Italian tourists, including the wife of an already infected person, and eight Indians tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, taking the total number of cases in the country to 29.

Two cases with a high viral load were also detected in Telangana.

A Paytm employee tested positive in Gurugram. The company said in a statement that the person had a travel history to Italy. The Health Ministry also confirmed the case, which came to light in the evening.

“As a precautionary measure, we have suggested that his team members get health tests done immediately. Our Noida and Gurgaon [Gurugram] offices will be shut for two days. We have also advised all our colleagues to work from home for a couple of days, while we get our offices sanitised. However, there will not be any impact on our daily operations and Paytm services will continue as usual,” the company said.

Giving details of the cases, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said six family members of a 45-year-old Delhi patient had tested positive.

The infection broke out in China’s Wuhan city in December and has spread to over 60 countries, killing more than 3,000 and infecting over 90,000.