Five teachers, including the Principal of a Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) High School School at Allipuram, tested COVID-19 positive here on Friday. The administration has shut down the school and sent the children to their homes after lunch.
It was learnt that the Principal of the school has been on leave after showing symptoms and testing COVID-19 positive, for the past few days. Four more teachers from the school have also tested positive on Friday morning.
“To contain further spread of the virus, we had closed the school after lunch. We are also sanitising the school. Again on Monday, we are planning to conduct tests for the staff and the students,” said the GVMC Education Officer Srinivas.
The incident has created panic among the parents who are now in a dilemma whether to send their children to schools or not. Several teachers from the rural areas have also tested COVID-19 positive in the last few days, it is learnt.
A large number of doctors, nurses and hospital staff in various hospitals treating COVID-19 cases are also testing positive. It was learnt that around 100 personnel, including doctors, nurses, employees and other departmental staff in KGH and CSR block in KGH, had tested COVID-19 positive.
“I do not have the exact number, but a number of doctors, nurses and staff had tested COVID-19 positive. However, we had expected this. Around 40 nurses have applied for leave after they tested positive. We are taking measures to ensure services are not disturbed,” said KGH Superintendent P. Mythili.
Three more deaths, 2,244 new cases
Meanwhile, the tally crossed the 2,000-mark consecutively for the second day in a row in Visakhapatnam. In the last 24 hours ending Friday morning, as many as 2,244 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Visakhapatnam, taking the total tally to 1,73,894. The day-tally was highest among other districts in the State. Visakhapatnam district has recorded 10,600 new cases in the last one week.
Meanwhile, 309 persons infected with the virus were discharged in the last 24 hours, taking the total discharges to 1,59,751.
The district also recorded three COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours taking the total death count to 1,123. It may be noted that 11 persons succumbed to the infection in the last four days in the district. The active cases have further increased to 13,020.
