26 teachers, 2 students test positive for COVID-19 in Odisha's Gajapati

As many as 26 teachers andtwo students have tested positive for COVID-19 in Odisha'sGajapati district after the reopening of schools, promptingthe administration to send a senior officer to the district onSaturday to take stock of the situation.

Though the development has sparked fears across thestate, the administration has urged everyone not to panic astheir samples were tested before the reopening of schools onFriday.

''There are 26 teachers and two students among the 31persons who have tested positive for COVID-19 in Gajapatidistrict in the last two days,'' Chief District Medical OfficerP K Patra said.

A senior official of the School and Mass EducationDepartment, however, said the detection of COVID-19 casesamong students and teachers has nothing to do with thereopening of schools for students of classes 10 and 12.

''All these tests were conducted before the reopeningof schools on January 8. The department had instructed schoolauthorities to conduct COVID-19 tests of students and teachersif they exhibit symptoms,'' the official told PTI.

No school in the state has ordered COVID-19 testswithin two days, he said, adding S&ME secretary SatyabrataSahoo has asked senior officials to visit all the districts tooversee the situation.

The Gajapati CDMO said the fresh infections might havecome from the migratory population from neighbouring AndhraPradesh.

The S&ME Department said that all schools are beingregularly sanitised.

The official of the department said the teachers andstudents who have tested positive for the infection will notbe allowed to enter the schools and will remain in home orinstitutional quarantine as per the standard operatingprocedure.

The officer deputed to Gajapati will also ascertainwhether the infected teachers and students had visited theirschools in the last two days, he said.