The number of Covid cases has started surging in schools across the state, but the government seems to be unperturbed by the situation.
A total of 25 students and two teachers of Government Senior Secondary School (Boys) at Amloh in Fatehgarh Sahib district tested positive on Thursday. In Ropar district, 11 students at Kathera village, near Nangal, were found infected on Wednesday.
The authorities have ordered the closure of the school for two days and collection of samples of students and staff members as per the Health Department’s guidelines.
Earlier on Tuesday, three students and five teachers were found Covid-positive at Lodhipur village near Anandpur Sahib in Ropar. More than 50 students have contracted infection in the district in the last fortnight.
Ropar District Education Officer (Secondary) RK Khosla said the number of positive cases among students and staff members had been increasing by the day.
Ropar District Education Officer (Elementary) Jarnail Singh, who was also found Covid-positive a few days ago, said seven students, five of them from the same school in Ropar town, were found infected recently.
Ropar Deputy Commissioner Sonali Giri said they had ordered sampling in all schools. Till now, nearly 11,000 students and staff members have been tested to check further spread.
On the other hand, the Punjab School Education Department has issued instructions for conducting essay, painting and declamation contests in schools in connection with the 75th Independence Day. These instructions have been issued in the context of events starting across the country under the theme ‘Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav’ 75 weeks before the 75th Independence Day to be celebrated next year.
At a meeting last week, Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan had said that as the overall positivity rate in schools was low, there was no need to shut the institutions. She stated that teachers should be encouraged to get themselves tested and the eligible ones should be inoculated on priority.
