Public broadcaster DD News shifted its headquarters from Mandi House to Khelgaon on Friday after a video journalist associated with it was detected coronavirus positive after his death, an official said.
The 53-year-old staff member of Doordarshan News who worked as a lighting assistant died in Delhi on Wednesday. He was tested for Coronavirus after his death, and the test report that arrived on Thursday showed that he had the infection.
According to his family, the patient had gone for work on May 21. He started feeling uneasiness after returning home and took leave next day. His brother stated that he did not show any coronavirus symptoms but had “mild breathing difficulty”.
As per reports, on May 25 he consulted his family doctor. The doctor advised him against getting tested for coronavirus but he was advised to undergo some blood tests.
His brother told PTI, “His blood test reports were normal. But on May 27, he collapsed and died en route to the hospital. He tested positive for the virus later. The doctor suspected that he had a heat stroke.”
As per an official of DD News, they were told that he was sick due to heatstroke and later they came to know that he suffered a heart attack that led to his death. However, when they learnt that he died due to coronavirus, the premises of the DD News and the areas he may have accessed were sanitized.
The official said, “The news operations have been shifted to the Khelgaon studio from the night of May 28. The floors of the Mandi House headquarters where news operations took place are being sanitised and it will take another two-three days.”
He informed that the deceased used to access the camera section. He added, “We have been following strict protocol and the employees are mandated to collect the equipment and leave the building. No one was allowed to loiter. But as a precautionary measure, all the camera section employees, around 35-40 persons, are being tested at RML and if they want, they can also undergo a test at a private lab.”
He also stated that employees are being called on a rotational basis and the deceased had reported to work only 6 six days in a month. He added, “We have automatic hand sanitizer machines at the entrance of the building so that people do not have to touch them and those entering the building have to undergo thermal screening.”
According to a DD employed who did not wish to be identified, the lighting assistant was present in interviews of at least two senior officials, one from the railways and another from a central ministry. It has been learnt that he had visited the AIIMS area around 12 days ago.
