Pune: Infosys vacates two buildings for sanitisation day after its employee tests positive for COVID-19

The company confirmed the case in a statement to The Indian Express. “We can confirm that an Infosys employee in Pune has tested positive for COVID-19. The employee is under medical supervision and we have asked colleagues who were in contact with the employee to self-quarantine themselves and closely monitor their health. We have vacated two buildings where the employee worked, and these will remain closed for deep cleaning and sanitisation. As a precautionary measure, we are also sanitising the entire campus and have sent detailed communication to employees working from that campus. Infosys has taken and will continue to take necessary precautions to keep our employees and communities safe.”

Even though offices in Phase 1 and 2 of the Pune development centre of Infosys, which employee more than 30,000 people, have been vacated for sanitisation, Harpreet Saluja, general secretary of National Information Technology Employees Sena (NITES), said about 300 employees shared the floor with the one who has been tested positive and that they are all at a threat.

District Collector Naval Kishore Ram on Sunday night had said that the Infosys employee had come in contact with a 41-year-old woman in Pune, who was tested positive on Friday and whose source of infection still remains unclear.

Ever since the coronavirus cases started to increase, both state and central government have been pushing for corporates to allow their employees to work from home. Industry experts said around 70 per cent employees, except the basic staff who are necessary to maintain the systems and other technical issues, in the sector have already been allowed to work from home.

IT major TCS, whose office is not far away from Infosys office, also said it has implemented work from home in large scale. “The safety and well being of our associates is most important to us. TCS is aligned with the World Health Organisation’s strategy of disease containment. We are also following the advisories of local government agencies. TCS has formed an apex committee under senior leadership, which is monitoring the emerging situation on a real-time basis,” a statement issued by TCS read. The company has directed all its employees who had travelled abroad to self-quarantine themselves for the defined period.

“As part of the business continuity in this critical situation, we have enabled work from home for large number of TCS associates using our Secure Borderless Workspaces (SBWS) infrastructure… TCS is rapidly rolling out its SBWS by ensuring the readiness of infrastructure concerning access, security, flexibility, and reliability. The non-linear roll out across our global facilities is being undertaken without any impact on mission critical client deliveries. This rapid roll out has seen a healthy reduction in the number of employees operating out of our facilities and the number is expected to go down even further. A global helpdesk has also been set up for all associates and their families to offer information and timely support,” the statement read.

However, Saluja said many employees were being forced to come to office or else they might lose their jobs. “…NITES demands strict action against organisations that have failed to follow basic policies of human rights,” he said.