43 students, teacher test Covid positive in Gurukul

Sangareddy: The incident of 43 students and a teacher of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Gurukul at Muthangi village in Sangareddy district about 50 km from Hyderabad testing positive for Covid-19 had put the district administration on high alert. The school has 491 students in the school, the Covid test was conducted on Sunday on 261 students.

The issue came out after a student fell ill three days ago. Since she was showing suspected symptoms of Covid, the school authorities decided to conduct tests on all students.

According to the state Health department officials, samples of those who tested positive have been sent for genome sequencing at Hyderabad's CCMB. The officials said that students who tested positive were kept in isolation in the hostel. Their condition is said to be stable.

Meanwhile, the authorities have decided not to allow visitors and parents to the school.

It is not the first incident where so many people were found affected by the virus at a single place. In the previous week, Mahindra University near Hyderabad was shut down after 25 students and five staff members tested Covid-19 positive.

It may be mentioned here that more Covid-19 cases were being reported in children after the reopening of education institutions in the State from September 1.

State Education Minister P Sabitha Indra Reddy, who reviewed the situation with the officials, said that Covid cases were being reported in some educational institutions and screening tests were being conducted for all students. "Students and their parents need not fear," she said.

She asked the authorities to ensure that all the students wear face masks and maintain physical distance..

The minister said that it has come to the notice of the government that some school managements were neglecting health protocols. She said it was mandatory to use sanitizers and thermal screening of students in schools.