ADVERTISEMENT
Maharashtra: COVID-19 case rumour triggers panic in Mantralaya
PTI
Last Updated IST
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in a meeting with senior officers at Mantralaya after formally taking charge of his office, in Mumbai. (PTI Photo)
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in a meeting with senior officers at Mantralaya after formally taking charge of his office, in Mumbai. (PTI Photo)

Panic gripped the Maharashtra secretariat in south Mumbai on Tuesday amid rumours that a senior official has tested positive to novel coronavirus infection, prompting authorities to launch a sanitisation drive in the seven-story building.

Speaking to PTI, an official said that relatives of the senior official had tested positive for novel coronavirus infection.

As the concerned official has gone on leave, a sanitisation exercise has been launched in the building as a precautionary measure, he said.

ADVERTISEMENT

He, however, clarified that the concerned official has tested negative to novel coronavirus.

"The Public Works Department which looks after the seven-story Mantralaya has undertaken the sanitisation drive. Directives have been given to clean the places such as railings of staircases, escalators, and handles of the chairs placed outside every department on every floor," he said.

The official said sanitisers have been made available for employees and directions being issues for maintenance of personal hygiene.

Amid steady rise of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, the state government has already restricted the entry of visitors at the Mantralaya.

ADVERTISEMENT
(Published 17 March 2020, 13:34 IST)