54 Students Test Covid Positive At A School In Haryana's Karnal

Fifty-four students of a school in Haryana's Karnal have tested positive for coronavirus, officials said. The state in December had allowed students from Classes 9 to 12 to go to schools. They reopened for those from Classes 3 to 5 from February 24.

Three students of the school in Karnal were found positive on Monday. After contact-tracing and testing more students, 54 more were found positive, officials said.

The hostel building of the school has been sealed and declared a containment zone.

In an order on February 22, the Haryana government said it would divide every school into three wings. If a student in a wing is found to be COVID-19 positive, that wing will be closed for 10 days and the entire school will be sanitised. If students in more than one wing are found to be COVID-19 positive, the entire school will be closed for 10 days, it had said.

Online classes have been continuing, and going to school is voluntary.

India's vaccination programme for children is yet to start. The centre hasn't announced a date. So far doctors and frontline workers have been inoculated, and vaccination for the elderly and those with illnesses are going on.

Schools have opened in several states with caution amid rising COVID-19 cases in some states like Maharashtra and Punjab.

In February, 192 Class 10 students from two schools in Kerala's Malappuram tested positive for COVID-19.