K’taka: Over 20 teachers test positive for Covid creating sense of fear among parents and students

Bengaluru: On January 4 regular classes began in Karnataka for class 10 and second-year pre-university (PU) Class students, who will be taking board exams and students from grades 6-9 came to campuses for the Vidyagama programme, which enables continued schooling. However, just five days after schools and colleges reopened many teachers have tested positive for Covid-19 creating a sense of fear among parents.

Before reopening schools and colleges the government had mandated that all teaching and non-teaching staff must undergo a Covid-19 test. The results of such tests done have started coming in with several teachers themselves testing Covid-19 positive.

In the Belagavi district alone, 18 teachers have tested positive for Covid-19.

Speaking to presspersons with this regard District Commissioner of Belagavi, MG Hiremath said that educational institutions have been re-opened under the Vidyagama scheme of the government by taking all precautions, but four teachers in a school have tested positive.

“We have sealed the school and it will be reopened a week later after it is fully sanitized,” he added.

Meanwhile, in Dakshina Kannada, two teachers from Government Higher Primary School tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday.

Reportedly, the two teachers from Balapa and Subrahmanya, respectively, had undergone RT-PCR test before reopening of classes on January 1. The teacher in the Balapa school took classes for students of Classes 6 and 7, while the teacher from Subrahmanya stayed away from school.

In Koppal, two teachers have tested positive and now 23 students are all set to undergo tests for Covid-19. However, the education department is saying that they do not have a consolidated number of teaching and non-teaching staff who have tested positive for the virus.

“It is but natural that a few may have tested positive amongst the staff in spite of precautions. We are testing them, isolating them, and getting them treated. Since it involves the future of lakhs of students, I appeal that we should not spread panic as normalcy is being slowly restored,” Medical Education Minister Dr. K Sudhakar said.