Government Primary School in Gujarat closed for a week after three students test positive for COVID-19

During random testing of COVID at a government school in Junagadh in Gujarat, three students were tested positive for COVID-19. Soon, the authorities closed the Government Primary School for a week from October 11 to 16. The school conducts classes for children from Classes 1 to 7. According to the officials, these children are from Classes 6 and 7 and they are currently isolated in their homes. The tests came out positive on October 11 after which the health authorities have started testing nearly 300 other children who study at the school in Meswan village.  

After the three children tested positive, the committee, which runs the school, urged parents of the other students, who came in contact with the infected children, to get them tested. Following a sharp decline in coronavirus cases in Gujarat, the state government permitted schools for Classes 6 to 8 to reopen from September 2. In July this year, the state government had allowed reopening of schools for Classes 9 to 12 and colleges and technical institutions.

Meanwhile, the ongoing Navratri celebrations in Meswan were cancelled from Monday to prevent the spread of the disease, village sarpanch Ramesh Ladani said. "We have urged the authorities to conduct COVID-19 tests of farm labourers, who come here from other parts of the state for harvest (of crops). These labourers don't take any precautions and are unaware about vaccination," Ladani told reporters. On Monday, Gujarat reported a total of 21 new COVID-19 cases, which raised the state's overall tally to 8,26,162, while no fresh death was reported and the fatality toll remained unchanged at 10,086, as per official data.