New Delhi (NVI): At least 229 students and 4 teachers living in a school hostel in Washim district of Maharashtra have been found positive for the coronavirus.
A tribal residential school, Bhavna Public School in Degaon in Washim has been declared as a containment zone by the state administration now.
The school had on January 27 announced that it will re-open, following which students from various district returned to the hostel by February 14, according to media reports.
In view of the rise in Covid-19 cases, the school authorities tested the students and initially found 30 students infected. Subsequently all the 327 students were tested, of which 229 were found positive for the coronavirus. All the students are from class 5 to 9.
All the students are asymptomatic and they are being treated in the school itself. The other 98 students, who tested negative, have been placed under quarantine.
Among those who have contracted the disease, 151 students belong to Amravati, 55 are from Yavatmal and the rest from Washim, Hingoli, Buldhan and Akola.
Maharashtra has witnessed a significant rise in coronavirus cases, with more than 8,000 new infections coming to light in a single day after a gap of over four months, health officials said.
The state reported 8,807 cases on Wednesday, taking its total infection count to 21,21,119. It had reported 8,142 cases on October 21 last year, after which the numbers had declined.
-CHK
