Google employee in Bengaluru tests positive for coronavirus

Bengaluru, Mar 13: Tech Giant Google has confirmed, one of its employees in Bangalore office has been diagnosed with Covid-19 and the company has told all its employees to work from home.

The 26-year-old man had recently returned from Greece and reportedly visited several places in the Karnataka capital.

"We can confirm that an employee from our Bengaluru office has been diagnosed with COVID-19. He was in one of our Bengaluru offices for a few hours before developing any symptoms. The employee has been on quarantine since then," the tech giant said in a statement.

"Out of an abundance of caution, we are asking employees in that Bengaluru office to work from home from tomorrow. We have taken and will continue to take necessary precautionary measures, following the advice of public health officials," it added.

The state government has started precautionary measures around the Google staffer, who is believed to be the sixth virus case.

"Primary contacts (of the 26-year old man) have been traced and are asymptomatic. Home quarantine has been advised and follow-up is being done," state health minister Sriramulu was quoted by news agency PTI.

The employee reportedly had no symptoms and was allowed inside the Google office as he did not have fever. When he felt unwell a few hours later, he was taken to hospital.

The cab in which he travelled from the airport back home has also been found and the driver and his family are quarantined at home, say reports.

This is the third case where an employee of a tech giant has been diagnosed with coronavirus followed by Dell India and Mindtree.

A 76-year-old man who died two days ago in Karnataka while being treated for suspected coronavirus has become India's first COVID-19 fatality with his samples taken earlier confirming the infection.

The Union Health Ministry has confirmed 76 coronavirus cases so far.