DHENKANAL: Amid concerns over a possible third Covid wave, as many as 20 students and staff of Panchayati Raj High School of Kanpura, situated three km from Kamakhyanagar, have tested positive for the virus. The authorities have closed the school for seven days. The residential school has a student strength of 600.
Sources said a teacher was first found Covid positive last week following which students and other school staff were made to undergo tests. Twenty of them tested positive. Of the 20 positive cases, 14 are students, five teachers and one staffer. After the cases were detected last week, the school has been closed from September 3 to 9.
The campus was sanitised and all precautionary measures have been taken to prevent further outbreak of the virus. Kamakhyanagar Sub-Collector Jyoti Shankar Sahoo said of the 20 affected, 19 are asymptomatic while one is symptomatic. All the infected persons are in home isolation and under treatment of doctors. “We are constantly monitoring the students and staff. There is no need to shift anybody to the hospital since all but one are asymptomatic. We have sanitised the school campus and hostel. The authorities are planning to test the remaining students. After seven days, we will evaluate the situation basing on which a decision will be taken on opening the school,” Sahoo informed.
Chief district medical officer of Dhenkanal Sujatarani Mishra confirmed the Covid cases in the school and said condition of all the infected persons is stable. A team of doctors have been rushed to the school to take stock of the situation.The Sub-Collector said there are no reports of Covid cases in any other school in Kamakhyanagar sub-division.