The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL)—which manages the Taj group of hotels – on Sunday admitted that an unspecified number of employees have tested positive and have been duly hospitalised.
Amid reports that six employees of Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in south Mumbai have tested positive for Covid-19, the IHCL in a statement issued here said: “Approximately 500 of our employees who are at work in our Mumbai hotels have been tested to date. Those who have tested positive mostly were asymptomatic showing absolutely no signs of illness. However, staff testing positive and symptomatic were duly hospitalized and others who were in contact with them have immediately been put in quarantine”.
The IHCL said that the others who had come in contact with those who have tested positive have been quarantined in accordance with World Health Organization (WHO) norms and guidelines issued by the local Government authorities”
“Taj Mahal Palace and Tower does not have any guests at the current time and only very minimal staff in areas like housekeeping, security, maintenance and staff dining are present to ensure the upkeep and maintenance of the hotel,” an IHCL spokesperson said.
“The safety of our associates and their families remain paramount during these unprecedented times. We remain committed to operating under all the guidelines of the WHO, Governmental agencies and other regulatory bodies,” the IHCL spokesperson said.
“In keeping with our values of being a responsible company and as a matter of abundant precaution, we have been proactively ramping up testing criteria for our employees, especially those who are in the front lines at these times,” the spokesperson said
“IHCL has been supporting the Government with various humanitarian initiatives by offering its hotels to the medical fraternity, health workers, supporting certain states with quarantine facilities and also providing almost 4 lakh meals till date to Doctors, health workers and migrant workers. The President, Taj Lands End, Taj Santacruz and Ginger Andheri are also hosting the medical fraternity in close cooperation with BMC,” the IHCL statement said.
Earlier, reports in a section of media quoting the doctors at the Bombay Hospital that six hospitalised patients were the employees of Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in south Mumbai. The doctors said that the condition of the hospitalised employees was “stable”.