Shut school for 2-3 days if 10 test positive for Covid, says Karnataka government

BENGALURU: The department of public instruction has asked schools in Karnataka to declare holiday for 2-3 days if more than 10 students on campus turn Covid-19 positive. The directive comes in light of the recent Covid-19 infection clusters in two Bengaluru schools. Karnataka on Thursday reported 833 new cases, of which 791 are from Bengaluru, a 28% spike over the previous day.
Whenever Covid-19 clusters come to light, the response must be quick, Randeep D, commissioner, department of health and family welfare, said. He added similar response was shown when positive cases were reported in two city schools.
Thirty-one students tested positive for Covid at two schools in Dasarahalli zone on Tuesday when they underwent RAT (a test for Covid-19). Then, the kids were subjected to RT-PCR test and 21 of them tested negative. Results of another 10 students are awaited.
Referring to the cases, Randeep said with students sitting close to each other in classrooms, a cluster like this was expected. "However, the response was quick, which must be the case if any such clusters are found. They (the infected) must be isolated quickly, primary and secondary contacts must be tested, symptomatic must not come to school, premises must be sanitised and things must go on as usual," Randeep said.
615 new Covid cases in city
On Wednesday, 648 new cases were reported in the state, of which 615 were from Bengaluru. The daily test positivity rate was 2.8% and one Covid death was seen in the city after 10 days. Before that, a 72-year-old woman had died of Covid-related complications in a city hospital on June 5.