Taj hotel staff who tested positive for coronavirus stable

The condition of the employees of the Taj Mahal Palace and Towers hotel, who tested positive for coronavirus, is stable and they may be discharged soon, hotel officials said on Sunday. Indian Hotels Company, which runs the Taj Hotel chain, had confirmed on Saturday that some employees of the iconic hotel were found positive for the virus, but did not specify the number.

Doctors had said on Saturday that six staffers at the property overlooking the Gateway of India monument in south Mumbai had tested positive. The hotel chain, which has been hosting doctors, health workers and other emergency services personnel at its hotels in the city during the lockdown, had proactively tested around 500 employees in the last few days as the financial capital is among India's coronavirus hotspots.

"They are doing well, are stable and will be discharged soon," an official said. Without specifying the number of infected employees, the company had said in a statement on Saturday that most of them were "asymptomatic showing absolutely no signs of illness" and that the employees were tested proactively.

"However, staff testing positive and symptomatic were duly hospitalized and others who were in contact with them have immediately been put in quarantine," it had said. The hotel does not have any guests at present and only minimal staff are present to ensure upkeep of the property, it said.