30 more students test positive for corona in Punjab

LAHORE: Thirty more students have been diagnosed with coronavirus positive in the last 48 hours during random testing in government and private schools in the province.

The detection of 30 Covid-19 cases among students raised total number of cases among students, teachers and staff members to 81 after 39,296 random tests conducted in government and private schools since the opening of educational institutes in the province.

According to details issued by Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department (P&SHD), 77 children, three teachers and one staff member are diagnosed with Covid-19 positive in schools in various districts in the province.

Out of the 39,296 tests conducted in 763 educational institutions across Punjab, 81 students, teachers and staff members were diagnosed Covid-19 with positive and 38,716 were declared coronavirus negative.

Out of the total 81 Covid-19 cases in educational institutes in Punjab, as many as 45 Covid-19 positive cases were confirmed in Gujranwala, 12 in Gujrat, nine in Nankana Sahib, seven in Faisalabad, two cases each in Lahore and Bhakkar, one each in Dera Ghazi Khan, Lodharan, Bahawalpur and Toba Tek Singh.

The P&SHD spokesman said the department has already issued detailed SOPs for educational institutions in Punjab. “It is mandatory to fully implement SOPs in educational institutions for complete restoration of educational activities in the province,” he added.

The spokesman for P&SHD informed that the health officials have done contact tracing of schoolchildren and staff members, who have been diagnosed with Covid-19, for the purpose of testing their family members for coronavirus.