COVID-19: Tech companies in Bengaluru struggle to implement work from home

Coronavirus

Despite Karnataka government’s advice, technology companies in Bengaluru are yet to allow employees to work from home.

Shilpashree Jagannathan

Many IT companies in Karnataka continue to function with employees working from offices, increasing the potential risk of employees getting exposed to coronavirus, which was declared a pandemic last week.  While companies are taking precautions with respect to hygiene, events and travel advisory for those returning from abroad, they are yet to implement work from home on a full scale.  This, even as global tech giants such as Microsoft, Google and Twitter have asked employees across geographies to work remotely. Companies such as Xiaomi offered two-day work from home on a trial basis to its 200-300 employees at Embassy Tech Village. Xiaomi India Managing Director Manu Jain did not respond to TNM's email query. Other companies such as Danish pharmaceutical major Novo Nordisk made work from home an option, but has encouraged people to come to office, “For better IT connection and collaborating with colleagues, so many of the employees ended up in office,” said an employee on the condition of anonymity. Novo Nordisk India's MD Vikrant Shrotriya did not respond to an email query.  There are a few other companies which are operating with employees coming to office and did not respond to an email seeking responses.  “While I understand that certain roles require people coming to office, a big chunk of them can be managed from home by conference calls. Yes, the output may be a little less, but that can be made up when we get to work after things are normal,” said an employee of US-based Healthcare technology solutions provider Emids, who did not wish to be named. Jawaid Akhtar, the principal secretary to the Health Minister was not immediately available for comment. But another officer in the health commissioner’s office said, “We have asked the ITBT department to work on this.” EV Ramanareddy, secretary of ITBT department of government of Karnataka did not respond to an email seeking details on what the government intends to do in case the IT companies don’t implement work from home. But a manager in his office said, “We can only issue guidelines. But we cannot force the companies to offer work from home.” While India has managed to contain the outbreak well so far, social distancing and isolation is critical in the next few weeks to ensure the crisis doesn't compound, like it has in countries such as Italy, Spain and France. 

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Co-passenger who travelled with Mindtree techie is 8th COVID-19 patient in Karnataka

Coronavirus

The eighth person who has tested positive for coronavirus had returned in the same flight from Heathrow in London, United Kingdom on March 8 as the techie from Mindtree.

Theja Ram

The Karnataka government on Monday reported the eighth case of coronavirus in the state. Speaking at a press conference, Karnataka Medical Education Minister Dr Sudhakar stated that a 32-year-old man had tested positive for the virus. He was a passenger in the flight taken by the techie working in Mindtree, who had earlier contracted COVID-19, was the latest person to test positive for the virus.  The eighth person who has tested positive for coronavirus had returned in the same flight (flight BA 119) from Heathrow in London, United Kingdom on March 8 as the techie from Mindtree. He was sitting within three rows of the Mindtree techie. He was in home isolation until Monday, when he was shifted to an isolation facility at KC General Hospital. His wife and domestic worker were named as contacts.  He was asymptomatic till Saturday, March 14, health officials revealed. He started showing symptoms on the day and his samples were taken for testing a day later on Sunday morning. "The protocol was to keep tabs on passengers on the flight who were sitting within three rows from the COVID-19 positive patient," the health officials said.  Among the eight cases in the state, six are from Bengaluru while the two other cases are from Kalaburagi. A 76-year-old man from Kalaburagi is the lone death reported in the state so far. All the other individuals identified to be positive for the virus have been admitted to isolation at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases in Jayanagar, Bengaluru. Testing of samples is being done at the National Institute of Virology’s field unit in the city as well as at Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI). Earlier on Monday, Dr Sudhakar, Minister of Medical Education, announced that one floor in all government medical college hospitals would be allocated for isolation purposes for any cases of coronavirus disease which may arise. Each hospital’s isolation ward is planned to have a capacity of between 150 and 250 beds.  

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Coronavirus: Karnataka SRTC buses not to give blanket, bedsheet any more

Coronavirus

This decision by the KSRTC comes after various divisions of the Indian Railway had also started withdrawal of blankets and curtains from air-conditioned coaches.

TNM Staff

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) which runs both intra-state and inter-state buses linking every major town and city, is going to stop giving blankets and bedspreads in its premium buses. This temporary rule will come into effect from Wednesday. In a statement, KSRTC said, “KSRTC is going to stop temporarily issuing of Blanket and Bedspread in Premium buses w.e.f 18.03.2020 (in view of COVID- 19). Passengers are requested to bring their own blankets and bedspread.” As of date, Karnataka has seen seven positive cases including a 76-year-old man who succumbed with other co-morbidities. This decision by the KSRTC comes after various divisions of the Indian Railway had also started withdrawal of blankets and curtains from air-conditioned coaches citing that they might pose a risk given they are not washed every day. Instead they said efforts were being made to ensure availability of liquid soap, napkin rolls and disinfectant chemicals. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, KSRTC said that they have reduced the number of premium services as passengers are avoiding AC buses.  On Saturday alone, 92 premium service buses to Hyderabad, Tirupati, Chennai, Coimbatore, Mantralaya, Ooty, Kodaikanal, Panaji were cancelled while 40 extra Karnataka Sarige buses to Mysuru, Shivamogga and Davangere districts were operated. Even on Monday, a total of 585 scheduled journeys were cancelled by KSRTC from all 83 depots in the state.  Between March 1 and March 15, due to cancellations of these journeys, KSRTC has lost Rs 3.94 crore in revenue. As part of the precautionary measure, temperature in AC coaches will be increased accordingly, a statement by the South Western Railways, said. Both Railways and the state run bus service provider said that they have taken additional measures to sanitise the buses and trains.

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Coronavirus: What’s open and what’s shut in Karnataka

Coronavirus

Thinking of stepping out? Here’s what you need to know about which establishments are open in Karnataka.

TNM Staff

File photo, Majestic Bus Station

In view of the rising cases of coronavirus, the Karnataka state government has taken various measures to discourage people from going out. People are advised to stay at home, and desist from taking trips to other places in the country, to stem the spread of the highly infectious disease. Here’s how these measures are affecting services in the state: Utilities: > Government offices will continue to operate as normal > Vegetable markets and supermarkets continue to operate > All hospitals remain open, and medical colleges have been kept running > Pharmacies to remain open > Banks and ATMs will continue to operate > All courts will reduce their case list to urgent matters only Transport: > The Bengaluru Metro continues to operate on a reduced capacity > BMTC continues to run, but has cut down operations by 10 percent > Some taxis and autos continue to ply on Bengaluru roads > Trains are running Entertainment, tourism and religious activities: > Restaurants and pubs will remain open in Bengaluru > Major tourism is muted > Swimming pools and gyms have been ordered to close > Theatres and malls have been closed, forcing filmmakers to push release dates forward. > Religious gatherings in Mysuru have been called off until further notice. > Mysuru palace is closed > Hampi and its surrounding temples have been declared closed to tourists > Zoos and wildlife sanctuaries are also closed, including Bannerghatta and Bandipur > All festivals in Kalaburagi stand cancelled. > Homestay tourist destinations like Dandeli and Joida in Uttara Kannada, have been asked to be closed. > In Kodagu, the District Commissioner has ordered shut all tourist spots. > Bengaluru WonderLa, an amusement park, has been closed. Education > All schools and colleges have been closed for classes > SSLC and PUC examinations board examinations will continue as scheduled > IGCSE, ICSE and CBSE exams will also be conducted as scheduled > Teachers have been asked to continue going to school for administrative work Offices > All corporates including in the Information Technology sector have been advised to allow their employees to work from home. Protests > The Bilal Bagh protest in Bengaluru continues.

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Coronavirus: Civic workers, waste pickers are at a high risk

Coronavirus

While Bengaluru’s civic body is distributing some safety gear to those handling waste, activists say it is not being done uniformly.

Soumya Chatterjee

Even as state governments are working at war-footing to identify active cases and contain the novel coronavirus in India, one section of people, while indispensible, continue to remain more vulnerable to the disease: civic workers and those engaged in solid waste management. Activists in Bengaluru are advocating for fair work conditions for pourakarmikas – the city’s civic workers – and allege that the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is not doing enough to protect these workers who are responsible for maintaining everyday health and hygiene in the city. “We have instructed our officers to ensure that gloves, masks, shoes and sanitisers are made mandatory for them,” BBMP Commissioner BH Anil Kumar confirmed to TNM.  He added that the Zonal Joint Commissioners have been tasked with the implementation of these guidelines. This was done after a meeting between the government officials on March 13. The Chief Engineer of the Solid Waste Management, Vishwanath, meanwhile, told TNM that they will also screen the civic workers if have symptoms of the coronavirus disease. However, activists point out that it is not being implemented uniformly, and allege that in many areas, men and women are being seen inside the waste compartments of vehicles, and have not been given safety equipment like gloves. Lekha Adavi, an activist and lawyer, said, “Many workers don't have access to water or toilets, where they can wash hands. What can 60% alcohol-based sanitizers do if they are dealing with toxic materials without any safety equipment like gloves?” she added. Uma, a pourakarmika in Indiranagar, confirmed that last week, their contractor had come and informed them about the coronavirus pandemic. “We have masks, gloves, shoes. The shoes are not very good but we can manage. We were also told that we should sneeze by keeping people at a distance. So we have been doing that. However, we are seeing a lot of masks thrown in the waste now. We are using gloves to separate them.” Activists reiterate Uma’s observation and point out that now, the increase in the number of disposable masks and other biomedical waste, in addition to the general mix of toxic garbage, is putting pourakarmikas at higher health risk. Sandhya Narayan, a member of the Solid Waste Management Round Table, a panel of experts, pointed out that while pourakarmikas have always been asked not to touch sanitary or biomedical waste, the lack of waste segregation at source poses as a problem.   “Mixed waste is anyway not processed and dumped in the landfills. What we need is a proper mechanism for segregating waste at source, reducing the need for pourakamikas to touch and separate it,” Sandhya stated. “We are now trying to emphasise even more to pourkarmikas that they should not touching the sanitary or biomedical waste,” she adds. Another suggestion is for the BBMP by experts is to withdraw the system of biometric attendance for these workers for the time being, as has been done by the state an.d central governments in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. The All India Council of Central Trade Unions (AICCTU) had written to the state Chief Secretary and other top bureaucrats for the same But at the moment,  this has not been accepted. " We have advised personal hygiene while capturing biometric details  to our supervisors. That is being followed." Randeep D,  BBMP Special Commissioner (SWM) told TNM. (With inputs from Prajwal Bhat)

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One floor in all Karnataka govt medical college hospitals to be used for isolation

Coronavirus

Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar further stated that all government medical college hospitals would be turned into ‘war rooms to tackle COVID-19’.

Theja Ram

The Karnataka government has decided to convert an entire floor in all government-run medical college hospitals into isolation facilities for potential COVID-19 cases. Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Monday said that all government medical college hospitals would be turned into “war rooms to tackle COVID-19”. The Minister also said that the government is planning to rope in private medical colleges as well to ensure that enough beds are available for housing patients in isolation. “We are holding talks with various medical colleges in Bengaluru like East Point, Akash Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, and MVJ Medical College. We want to convert one floor in private hospitals in Bengaluru into isolation facilities as well. We want to make sure that we have at least 3,000 beds for housing patients in Bengaluru,” he added.  The state government plans to use the isolation facilities to house those who are tested positive for COVID-19 and also for suspected cases. Each hospital’s isolation facility will have 150 to 250 beds. “We are also taking measures to ensure that ICU facilities are available to treat serious cases in every district at government and government-run medical college hospitals,” Dr Sudhakar said. The government will also establish laboratories to test samples at Belagavi, Mangaluru, Kalaburagi and Hubballi. “In the future, we are planning to establish labs in all government colleges. More personnel will be hired to ensure that there is no staff shortage. I will personally get updates from each district every day as we are planning to have meetings via video conferencing daily,” he added. The state government has also directed all district officials to identify empty buildings owned by the government so that they can be converted into hospitals. “Details of this plan will be chalked out today (Monday) and a proper plan will be announced soon. We are also holding meetings with private colleges so we can rope them in as well,” he said. Doctors and medical staff who are working day and night after the outbreak of COVID-19 are the real heroes, the Minister said while adding that the state government is mulling introducing a benefits package for health workers, including insurance cover.

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Daughter of deceased Kalaburagi COVID-19 patient tests positive: 347 contacts traced

Coronavirus

The 46-year-old woman’s condition is stable, said health officials.

Theja Ram

Representation Photo/Manesar quarantine facility

Karnataka’s Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Monday said that the daughter of the 76-year-old man who died of COVID-19 was the only one among his family members to test positive for the coronavirus.  Principal Secretary of the Health Department Jawaid Akhtar said that the man’s daughter is 46 years old and was the only one in the family who was in close proximity with him for extended periods of time as she was the one taking care of him.  While the woman’s husband, her brother and brother-in-law were tested negative she was the only one among the family members, who took him to Hyderabad, who was tested positive.  Minister Sudhakar said that as on Monday morning the Health Department has traced 77 primary contacts and 170 secondary contacts of the 76-year-old and his daughter.  “She has a one-month-old baby, who is stable and was not tested positive. All necessary precautions have been taken after the contacts were traced. We believe the number of contacts will increase as we trace all of them,” he added.  The 76-year-old man, who went to Saudi Arabia on January 29, returned to Kalaburagi via Hyderabad on February 29. He started showing symptoms of cough and fever on March 6. On March 8, he was taken to Sunrise Hospital in Kalaburagi, where the doctors alleged advised the family to take him to Hyderabad. Family members had earlier told TNM that they were not informed that the doctors suspected their father to have COVID-19. In Hyderabad, the family took him to Code Narrow Hospital, Gandhi Hospital, Apollo Hospital hoping to ensure that he is treated properly. However, with no proper response from the doctors there, the man was rushed to Care Hospital, a private hospital. The victim's son had earlier told TNM that when they were at Care Hospital, he received a call from the health officials at Kalaburagi, who asked them to bring him back to Karnataka immediately. He was brought to Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences, where he was brought dead. The victim was tested positive for the virus days after his demise.  “During this time, the man’s daughter was the one administering care and she was with him the most. She is stable now and is in an isolation ward,” Minister Sudhakar added.  Jawaid Akthar further stated that the other 21 family members of the COVID-19 victim apart from the daughter are currently stable. He, however, did not say whether they were tested positive or negative as their test results are awaited. Watch Minister Sudhakar's press conference here:

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