Schools have become a hotbed for COVID-19 in the Uttara Kannada district as students and teachers of two more schools have been tested positive. Considering this, the district administration has ordered the shut down of these schools for a brief period.
After 22 students of YTSS school- a private school tested positive, seven more students of another school, Karnataka Public School in Agasur in Ankola taluk have now been tested positive. To add to it, five teachers have also been positive here. Three teachers have also been tested positive in Bavikere village near Belekere, while one teacher has been tested positive in Krishnapur- all in Ankola taluk.
Considering the spread of COVID, Deputy Commissioner Mullai Muhilan has ordered the closure of these two schools until April 1. "We have sent the swab samples of the secondary contacts for analysis," DC Muhilan told Express. For now, the parents and the concerned people have been told to observe social distancing and restrict to their houses. DDPI, Harish Gaonkar said that the schools have been instructed to observe social distancing and sanitisers have been provided to all the schools.
The district administration is at present directed the health department to take up screening of entire hostels in the district. District Health Officer Sharad Naik said that the teachers have been instructed to monitor the students who do not attend their classes and obtain their travel history if they have gone out of the station. The district as on Wednesday had 16 new cases.
The district Health department has announced that it will begin vaccinating people for COVID, above 45 years of age from 1 April. Speaking to reporters, DHO Sharad Naik said that the vaccine will be given to people six days a week in designated centres across the district including the subdivisions and appealed to the people to get vaccinated without fear of any side effects. He said that Doctors in all these centres will monitor the patients and the vaccination programme. The DHO said that the district at present has 35,009 doses of vaccine.
