Twenty-six employees of a TV news channel, Sathiyam TV, in Chennai tested positive for coronavirus today, after their colleague tested positive two days ago.

The colleague is 24 years old and works as a sub-editor for the news channel. Officials are probing whether he contracted the virus from his father, who works as a sub-inspector, The News Minute reports.

Subsequently, 94 others in the organisation were tested. So far, 27 in total have tested positive. "The results of some samples have not yet come. So, this is the number so far," a Chennai Corporation office told The New Indian Express.

All the staff members and those who have been in contact with them, including family members, have been quarantined. The channel's office in Royapuram has been sealed.

Apart from the sub-editor, a reporter with a Tamil daily also tested positive for coronavirus on April 19. The reporter had attended a press briefing held by Beela Rajesh, the health secretary, prior to his diagnosis. The health department then asked journalists who attended press meets to get tested.

Yesterday, 53 TV journalists in Mumbai tested positive for coronavirus. Samples from 167 journalists had been collected, and officials said the number of positive cases "could go up". The samples were collected at a special camp held by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation last week for journalists working in the field, HuffPost reports.

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