Punjab district shuts govt school after 13 students test positive for Covid-19

According to Mukerian subdivisional magistrate (SDM) Navneet Bal, all infected students were 15 to 16 years old. They have been home quarantined.

Following this, the health department has taken samples of all students and teachers. Civil surgeon Dr Parminder Kaur said those who came in contact with the students are being traced. Testing in area villages has also been intensified.

“The entire school campus had been sanitised and people of the area have been asked to strictly follow Covid norms, including wearing masks,” an official said.

This comes days after the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya at Waring Khera village in the Muktsar district of the state was closed due to 14 students testing Covid positive.

The students were isolated in the school, which is day boarding, to contain the spread of the infection. 

Punjab had reopened schools for all classes in August after the state relaxed Covid-19 restrictions in view of the declining cases. 

Schools administrations were asked to maintain proper protocols to ensure Covid appropriate behaviour during offline classes. District education officers were directed to ensure that teaching and non-teaching staff are fully vaccinated before they conduct physical classes. 

Covid situation in state 

Two more people died from coronavirus in Punjab on Friday as 41 fresh cases surfaced, pushing the state’s infection count to 6,03,173, according to a medical bulletin.

So far, the state has reported 16,593 deaths. Two fatalities were reported from Faridkot and Jalandhar. Mohali reported 10 cases, followed by five in Pathankot and four in Patiala.

The number of active cases rose to 335 from 314 on Thursday.

Eighteen people recovered from the infection, taking the number of those who have been cured to 5,86,245, as per the bulletin.