SAP India Says Two Employees Tested Positive For H1N1 Virus, Bengaluru, 2 Other Offices Closed

The Indian arm of German software group SAP said on Thursday it had shut down all offices in the country for sanitisation after two of its employees in the city of Bengaluru tested positive for the H1N1 virus. SAP India offices in Bengaluru - considered the tech hub of India - Gurugram and Mumbai have been temporarily closed and all employees have been asked to work from home till further notice, SAP said in an emailed statement.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), H1N1 symptoms include fever, chills and sore throat and is similar to seasonal influenza but has been characterised by higher fatality rates among healthy young adults and higher incidence of viral pneumonia.

The employees based in these locations have been asked to work from home, the German tech giant said in a statement.

"Two SAP India employees based in Bangalore (RMZ Ecoworld office) have tested positive for the H1N1 virus. Detailed contact tracing that the infected colleagues may have come into contact with is underway," SAP India said in an emailed statement.

 “...all SAP employees based in these locations have been asked to work from home till further notice,” the statement said.

In an internal communication to employees, the company said “considering the situation, we encourage you to work from home beginning February 20 till February 28”.

Stating that it is monitoring the situation closely, SAP advised employees to seek medical advice if they or their family members have any symptoms of cold, cough with fever.

(With agency inputs)