575 students, 829 teachers test Covid-19 positive in Andhra Pradesh

Hyderabad: As many as 829 teachers and 575 students, all from government high schools, have tested positive for Covid-19 in Andhra Pradesh after the schools reopened on November 2. Classes resumed for classes 9 and 10 and second year Intermediate students three days ago.

According to the statistics provided by the School Education Department, a total of 70,790 out of the total 1.89 lakh government teachers took the COVID test. Of them, 1.17 per cent --- 829 -- teachers tested positive for the virus. The highest number of 172 teachers tested positive in East Godavari, followed by 141 in Srikakulam. No teacher from Krishna tested positive for the virus. The reason for this is that only 26 teachers were tested for Covid-19 in the district while the number of tests conducted in other districts was in hundreds, the department officials said.

With regard to students, 95,763 students were tested for the virus and of them, 575 tested positive. This comes to 0.60 per cent. School Education Commissioner V Chinna Veerabhadrudu, however, maintained that the figures are not alarming.

The government's initial decision to reopen the schools for classes 9 and 10 on alternate days, on half-day basis had triggered fear among the teachers and students with the prevalent COVID situation.

According to official data, only 39.62% students of class 9 and 43.65% of class 10 attended school in the first 3- days. 98.84% of the schools were reopened with 87.78% of teachers attending them.

According to Shaik Sabjee, president of United Teachers' Federation the sanitising and hygiene processes are not being followed properly in schools and because teachers are required to come regularly to school therefore, they might have come in contact with people carrying the virus.

CPI state secretary P Ramakrishna have asked the government to change their decision on continuing school in this pandemic situation.

Telugu Desam Party lawmaker Anagani Satyaprasad also wrote to chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to continue with e-learning process and immediately close the reopened schools.

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