An employee working with Paytm, among India’s biggest, most valued digital payment platforms, has been tested positive for the deadly Coronavirus, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. The company has shut its offices in Gurugram and Noida for at least two days, asking the employees to work from home as it looks to restrain the further spread of the virus.
The person in question had recently returned from a vacation in Italy, one of the worst-hit regions globally, the company added. This has been the case with most of the 25 other positive cases that have been identified in the country.
“One of our colleagues based out of Gurgaon office who recently returned from Italy post a vacation has sadly been tested positive for Coronavirus. He is receiving appropriate treatment and we are extending complete support to his family,” a Paytm spokesperson said.
“As a precautionary measure, we have suggested his team members to get health tests done immediately. We have also advised all our colleagues to work from home for a couple of days while we get our offices sanitized. However, there will not be any impact on our daily operations and Paytm services will continue as usual,” the company spokesperson added.
The latest case pushes the total count to 29, with the number surging after 15 of the 23 Italian tourists in quarantine returned positive results along with 1 Indian national. The tourists have been taken to a quarantine facility in Delhi. India has largely remained unaffected with the effects of coronavirus, owing to the country’s resilient and rather prompt measures to tackle the same. That, despite it being one of the most open-borders country with a population of over 1.3 billion. However, with Italy emerging as the nation with most number of cases after China, India is now more prone to infections.
