Hyderabad, March 17 (SocialNews.XYZ) Schools in Telangana are turning to be new hotspots of Covid-19 as the state faces a sudden spurt in new infections.
Over 100 students and staff members of at least seven schools have tested positive during the last two days, worrying the state authorities.
The state government is likely to announce new measures, including possible closure of schools to contain the spread.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao said on Wednesday told the Assembly that the government will review the situation and make an announcement in the next couple of days.
He told the house that while the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic was on the decline in other countries, it has just started in India and numerous cases were being reported from neighbouring states.
The Chief Minister said the government was taking all precautions to contain the spread of the pandemic.
Rao said though the situation is better in Telangana compared to other states, there can't be any compromise on the health of children. "We will take a decision after examining the situation across the country and in adherence with the Centre's guidelines," he said.
KCR, as the Chief Minister is popularly known, said the government was constantly monitoring the situation. The Centre was also working in close coordination with the state and making suggestions to check the spread of the virus.
Certain residential welfare hostels including a school in Mancherial had reported several cases of students testing positive for Covid-19.
The Zilla Parishad Girls High School in Mancherial emerged as an epicentre of a major Covid outbreak, with as many 56 students, teachers and other staff members tested positive during last two days.
Two teachers at two Zilla Parishad schools in the same district had also tested positive. The district accounted for the highest daily count of cases on Wednesday.
A Minorities Residential Girls School at Balanagar also emerged as another hotspot with as many as 38 students testing positive. All 184 students from Class 8 to 10 in the school were tested after the head cook tested positive.
In the Rapid Antigen Test, 38 students have tested positive. All are asymptomatic and healthy, an official said.
Telangana Minorities Residential Educational Institutions Society (TMREIS) Secretary B. Shafiulla said 38 students tested positive in Rapid Antigen Test. As a precautionary measure, authorities conducted RT-PCR tests for those who tested negative in RAT.
Nine students and a teacher of a residential school in Bhainsa town of Nirmal district tested positive on Wednesday.
Another five students from a private school in Choutuppal also tested positive.
The state government had allowed reopening of schools for Class 6 to 8 from February 25.
Schools for Class 9 and above were re-opened from February 1.
Source: IANS
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