Thirty-six students of three government-run residential schools in Telangana have tested positive for COVID-19. According to health officials, 24 students at Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Backward Classes Welfare Residential school at Indresham in Sangareddy district tested positive on Thursday, December 2. Health authorities conducted COVID-19 tests for 300 out of 960 students, and the remaining students will also be tested.
According to school authorities, a class 9 student had developed a fever in the hostel on November 24. Her parents took her home to Gajwel and got a COVID-19 test done which was found positive.
Sangareddy District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) G Gayatri Devi told IANS that all students have been kept in isolation. Although officials are advising parents to allow children to isolate themselves at the hostel so that they do not infect others, parents are insisting on taking them home, according to IANS.
This is the second COVID-19 cluster reported from Sangareddy district in the past few days. Last week, 48 students of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Telangana Backward Classes Welfare Residential school at Muthangi village had tested positive for the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, nine students at a residential school-cum-junior college at Tatipalle in Jagtial district have tested positive. According to school officials, a student tested positive on Tuesday, November 30, while six more students were found infected the next day. Two more students tested positive on Thursday, December 2. The school and college together have 586 students.
Three students of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya at Julurupadu in Bhadradri-Kothagudem district have also tested positive.
A few days ago, Mahindra University near Hyderabad was shut down after 25 students and five staff members had tested positive for the coronavirus.
Earlier on November 21, a total of 29 students of a government-run residential school and junior college for girls in Khammam district had tested positive for the coronavirus.
Educational institutions in Telangana reopened from September 1. However, the High Court allowed reopening of residential schools in the last week of October after the Education Department gave an assurance that all preventive measures will be taken.