Srinagar: At least 50 students of two schools in Kulgam and Anantnag districts of Jammu and Kashmir tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, forcing the authorities to close the institutions for a week, officials said.
Thirty-six students of Noorani Public School in Khull area of Damhal Hanjipora in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district tested positive during a random sampling drive, DH Pora Block Medical Officer (BMO) Shugufta Salam said.
She said the report of a grandparent of a student who had come to the school to fetch his grandchild also came out positive.
All the contacts will be tested in the due course of time, the BMO said.
She said the Health Department will launch a door-to-door drive to trace the contacts of the students and conduct tests.
The official said the school has been closed for a week to contain the infection.
Meanwhile, 14 students also tested positive for COVID-19 at Government High School in Kathsoo area of the neighbouring Anantnag district, the officials said.
They said the school has been ordered to remain closed for a week.
In another case, two staff members at Kothibagh Higher Secondary School also tested positive for the virus, they said.
The institution has been closed till Saturday, they added.
Six Schools Ordered Shut
Authorities on Wednesday meanwhile ordered closure of six schools in central, south and north Kashmir after detection of Covid-19 positive cases from these institutions, officials said.
An official said that that Noorani Public School in Damhal Hamjipora of Kulgam district has been closed for next one week as a precautionary measure after 36 students and a parent of one among the students tested positive for coronavirus.
Similarly, officials in Budgam said that Government Girls Higher Secondary School Budgam was closed for five days after a contractual teacher of the institution was declared positive for Covid-19 during a test drive held on Tuesday.
They further said that Government High School Durbal and Higher Secondary Narbal in Budgam were also closed for four days after some staff members were declared positive for the virus.
In Srinagar, Kothibagh Girls High School was closed till next Monday, after a teacher and a class IV employee tested positive for COVID-19.
In Bandipora, N.M Boys Higher Secondary School, a teacher and a student tested positive for Covid-19 during a mass testing campaign which was held in the institution.
Meanwhile, schools were closed as a precautionary measure to contain that spread of virus and all the teaching and non-teaching staff of the aforesaid institutions have been asked to go into self isolation. (With PTI Inputs)
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