32 Students At Karnataka Boarding School Test Covid-Positive

32 students have tested positive for COVID 19 at a residential school in the Kodagu district of Karnataka. The students, 10 girls and 22 boys, were tested for the virus over a week ago. They are students of classes 9 to 12.  

The incident happened at Jawahar Navodaya Vidayalaya in Madikeri of Kodagu district. 10 of the students are symptomatic while 22 are not showing any symptoms. One staff member has also tested positive and is symptomatic. All of them are being treated at the District Hospital.

The school has a total of 270 students, all of them have been tested for COVID 19. 

Pankajashan, the Principal of the school, told NDTV that none of the students are critical. "Their condition is improving; there is nothing to worry about. The entire campus has been sanitised and other precautionary measures are being taken. The interaction between students and teachers is going on though it has affected the smooth functioning of the school," he said. 

The District Collector, District Health Officer, and other officials visited the school today. Appropriate measures have been taken to ensure the safety of the students and prevent further infection. 

There have been several such cases in educational institutions across the country. At least 30 students of civic-run King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital in Mumbai, Maharashtra, tested positive for COVID-19 in September. Out of these, 28 students were fully vaccinated against the disease. 

At least 13 students and four staff members of Delhi University's St. Stephen's College tested positive for the disease in April. 

Infections in children were also reported at many places during the second wave. Till May 24, Delhi government-run Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital had recorded around 40 cases of "severe" coronavirus infection among children during the second wave, around 15 of them were aged below one.