The Leela Palace hotel has become the latest hotspot of COVID-19 in Chennai after around 20 staff members of the luxury hotel – where India’s domestic cricketers are staying presently for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, have been tested positive for the deadly virus on Monday (January 4).
It is being said that 232 staff members of the Leela Palace underwent COVID-19 tests and results of about 10 percent of members showed they had contracted the Coronavirus infection.
It is Chennai's second luxury hotel that came into the grip of Coronavirus outbreak after the ITC Grand Chola – whose at least 85 staff, their family members, and neighbors were tested positive for the COVID-19 despite having followed all state-directed SOPs and their own hygiene protocol.
However, despite the COVID-19 outbreak at The Leela Palace, the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) on Monday insisted that the players are safe and there is nothing to panic about since the infected staff was out of the bio-bubble set-up for the players in Chennai.
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Players of the three teams – Meghalaya, Manipur, and Mizoram – are staying in The Leela Palace in Chennai – where the Plate group matches of the upcoming Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament are scheduled to begin at various venues from 11 January 2021.
A TNCA official told PTI: “There is nothing to panic. The players and the others involved in the tournament staying at Leela Palace are safe. They are staying in a bio-secure environment.”
Meanwhile, an official of one of the teams said the players are safe in the hotel since the staff members were outside the bio-bubble and not in contact with them.
The official further insisted: “It is true that some of the staff tested positive for coronavirus, but they are outside the bio-bubble. The players are fine.”
One of the players revealed that the players were tested after the outbreak and have remained confined to their rooms in the hotel. The player signed off by saying, “So far things are fine. We have been tested and we are confined to our rooms.”
(With PTI Inputs)
