20 nursing students from Kerala among 34 test Covid positive in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: Christian Nursing College in Horamavu was sealed after 34 student tested Covid-19 positive on Friday. "Colleges have been instructed to be vigilant on students returning from other States," said Health and Medical Education Minister Dr K.Sudhakar.

Speaking to media persons after inspecting the college on Friday, the minister said, "34 of the 300 students of the college have tested positive for Covid. The college has been sealed and all safety precautions have been taken. All schools and colleges must follow Covid guidelines."

Karnataka is an educational hub and many students come here from across the country. There are about 800 nursing colleges in the State.

All the infected students hailing from Kerala and West Bengal have been shifted to a Covid care centre. Their samples will be sent for genomic sequencing, said Sudhakar. The college will remain sealed for 7-8 days and then testing will be conducted again. The area where the college is located has been declared micro containment zone and 700-800 residents in the locality will be tested as a precautionary measure, according to Dr Sudhakar. He said, "Kerala is still witnessing high number of cases. Therefore, we have issued separate guidelines for border districts. It's mandatory for students from Kerala to have been inoculated and to possess negative RT-PCR test. Managements of schools and colleges must verify this strictly."

"Ganesha festival is a very sensitive and emotional issue. But we must not forget that Covid has gone out of control in Kerala due to Onam and Muharram. We are trying to avoid such a situation in Karnataka. The government will take an appropriate decision considering all the aspects," the minister explained.