Paytm Offices Shut After Employee Tests Positive for Coronavirus

India's leading digital payment platform Paytm on Wednesday decided to shut its offices in Gurugram and Noida for at least two days after one of its employees who had recently travelled to Italy tested positive for COVID-19. In an official statement, the company informed that it has suggested team members of the COVID-19 patient to get their health tests done immediately, while all their offices will remain shut for sanitising purposes.

"One of our colleagues based out of Gurugram office, who recently returned from Italy post a vacation, has now been tested positive for Coronavirus. He is receiving appropriate treatment and we are extending complete support to his family," a Paytm spokesperson told IANS.

"As a precautionary measure, we have suggested his team members to get health tests done immediately," the spokesperson added.

The company said it has advised all employees to work from home for a couple of days while the offices are sanitised.

"However, there will not be any impact on our daily operations and Paytm services will continue as usual," the spokesperson added.

With 25 fresh confirmed cases of coronavirus in India, the tech industry in India is withdrawing into a shell, with Paytm, Nearbuy, Wipro, TCS, and HCL announcing action plan to safeguard their employees.

Nearbuy, which claims to be India's first hyper-local online platform that enables customers and local merchants to discover and engage with each other, has decided to close its Gurugram office for at least 14 days as a precautionary measure.

The company has told its employees to work from home during the period and also keep a proper check on their health.

Global software giant Wipro on Wednesday announced that it has suspended employee travel to coronavirus-stricken China, Hong Kong and Macau.

The company also said that any employee who has travelled to an affected place in China in the last few days has been advised to work from home for 14 days before resuming work in office.

"We have advised our employees to be vigilant, especially those based in China and those who have visited the country recently," said Wipro.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) also claimed that it was working closely with all relevant global and regional and local health institutions to tackle COVID-19 outbreak.

While HCL Technologies said it has invoked an epidemic contingency plan in the impacted geographies and is providing full support to employees, wherever possible.

Disclosure: Paytm's parent company One97 is an investor in Gadgets 360.