28 employees of Zee Media test COVID positive

New Delhi, May 19 (PTI): As many as 28 employees of a media house tested positive for coronavirus in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) on Monday, officials said.

Of the 28 employees of Noida Sector 16A-located Zee Media who have tested positive for COVID-19, 15 reside in Gautam Buddh Nagar while 13 are in Delhi, Faridabad and Gurgaon, according to officials.  

The Zee Media said in a statement it initiated 'mass testing' after one of its employee was detected with the COVID-19 infection last Friday.

Referring to the spread of COVID-19 from a 39-year-old man in Zee Media, Gautam Buddh Nagar District Magistrate Suhas L Y said, 'The man lives in Delhi's Laxmi Nagar but works at Zee Media office in Sector 16A Noida.'

'He was found COVID-19 positive on May 15. His 51 contacts were tested at Max Lab in Delhi. His 15 contacts, who are employees in the same organisation, residing in Gautam Buddh Nagar have tested positive,' he added.

Another 13 contacts of the man who reside in Delhi, Faridabad and Gurgaon have tested positive for coronavirus and the administrations of their respective districts were doing the needful, as per protocols.

In a statement shared on Twitter, Zee Media said last Friday one of its employees tested positive for COVID-19.  

'As a responsible organisation, we initiated mass testing of all those who could have been in direct or indirect contact with the said individual,' it said.  

'So far, 28 of our team mates have tested positive. Fortunately, most of them are asymptomatic and not complaining of any discomfort. We believe this is because of early diagnosis and pro-active intervention,' it added in the statement.

'We are following the best practices to break the cycle and contain the infection, in coordination with all government and health authorities. All health protocols and official guidelines are being followed. Our office, newsroom and studios have been sealed for sanitisation. The Zee News team has been shifted to an alternative facility for the time being,' Zee Media said.