A month after schools reopened in Kerala, 187 students and 75 staff employees across two schools in Kerala’s Malappuram district have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Mohammed Ismail, Deputy Medical Officer of Malappuram district, told TNM that the 75 staff members include teachers and other staff employed at the two schools located in Ponnani area in the district.
"One student in one school and a teacher in the other school have tested positive. The students, teachers and other staff of the schools underwent tests after they tested positive. Samples of all those who got in contact with the two have been sent for tests," he said.
Holidays have been declared in the two schools where the cases have been reported and authorities are likely to conduct COVID-19 tests in schools in the periphery as well. Further investigation is underway to ascertain details about the outbreak.
Schools in Kerala were reopened in January for Classes 10, 11 and 12 under restrictions and following strict COVID-19 protocol.
On Sunday, Kerala reported 6,075 COVID-19 cases, including a UK returnee. With this, the total caseload to 9.68 lakh as the active cases touched 67,650, the state government said.
As many as 5,948 have been cured of the illness and the recoveries have so far touched8.96 lakh, Health Minister KK Shailaja said in a release. The total number of cases in the southern state is 9,68,438.
In the last 24 hours, 65,517 samples have been tested and the test positivity rate is 9.27 per cent. Among the districts, Kollam reported the highest number of cases --824, while three accounted for over 600 and two over 500 cases.
A UK returnee has tested positive in the last 24 hours. With this so far 80 people who had returned from Britain have tested positive for the virus and the samples of 62 persons have come out negative. So far, 1 crore samples have been sent for testing. The toll has climbed to 3867 with the addition of 19 more deaths.
Of the positive cases, 27 are health workers, 110 people had come from outside the state and 5,603 were infected through contact, the release added. At least, 2,24,659 people are under observation in various districts, including 10,885 in hospitals.
With PTI inputs