Over 100 test positive for Covid-19 across Chennai’s luxury hotels - Hindustan Times
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Over 100 test positive for Covid-19 across Chennai’s luxury hotels

Hindustan Times, Chennai | ByDivya Chandrababu
Jan 03, 2021 10:05 PM IST

From December 15 onwards up to January 3, a total of 97 people from a prominent luxury hotel in Chennai have tested positive for Covid-19.

Following Covid-19 relaxations, luxury hotels are emerging as a Covid-19 cluster after educational institutions in Chennai. In total, as many as 114 employees have tested positive for Covid-19 out of the 2,226 tested at city’s star-category hotels. The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) is using a saturation approach (a method to test everyone in a hotspot) in at least 35 luxury hotels in the city that are host weddings and public functions.

File photo: A health worker collect swab sample from a man for Covid-19 testing.(Santosh Kumar/ Hindustan Times)
File photo: A health worker collect swab sample from a man for Covid-19 testing.(Santosh Kumar/ Hindustan Times)

From December 15 onwards up to January 3, a total of 97 people from a prominent luxury hotel in Chennai have tested positive. “In other hotels, there are 11 cases which are isolated and not indicative of a cluster,” said health secretary J Radhakrishnan. “As a measure of abundant caution, on a rotational basis we test hostels, hotels, education institutions every three weeks. Our focus is locations where more than 20 people gather whether it is in public places or gated communalities and beach houses.”

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“In the last two days, we tested 232 employees of another 5-star hotel and 20 staff have turned positive,” said S Divyahdrashini, deputy commissioner for health, GCC.

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“We have been conducting random testing since November at hotels, market places, educational institutions which is how we picked up this cluster,” said Divyadharshini. “We will start random testing at 1,000 smaller restaurants in the city.”

One of the luxury hotels where the cases first came up said in a statement that they routinely test their employees. “It is because of this process that cases came to light well before the intervention of the authorities,” the statement read. “Protocols of contact tracing and further testing is strictly followed. While the GCC has classified some associates as asymptomatic and mild, the majority of our associates are working from home and have been absent from the property and so have no contact with other associates or guests,” the statement added.

Previously, a Covid-19 cluster emerged out of IIT-Madras in mid-December 2020 where 191 people on campus had tested positive following which testing was intensified at all educational institutions across Tamil Nadu.

As of January 3, Tamil Nadu has reported 8,20,712 positive cases of Covid-19 and 12,156 deaths with 8,00,429 patients discharged.

Approximately, 2,300 passengers have entered the state from the United Kingdom between November 25 and December 23 of which a total of 2,146 passengers were tested. 24 passengers from the UK have tested positive while only one person is found to have the new coronavirus variant detected in the UK.

The state also conducted a dry run for Covid-19 vaccine administration in five districts including Chennai on Saturday.

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