As many as 54 students at a school in Haryana’s Karnal district have tested positive for COVID-19, news agency ANI reported. “Our medical teams have reached the spot and the hostel is being marked as a containment zone,” Civil Surgeon Yogesh Sharma said. 

Also Read | Nand Kumar Singh Chauhan, BJP MP from Khandwa, dies after testing positive for COVID-19

In December, the state government had allowed students from classes 9 to 12 to return to schools, while allowing the same for students from classes 3- to 5 from February 24. 

Officials said that three students were found positive for the infection on Monday and 54 more returned positive tests after contact tracing and testing was carried out.  

Also Read | India records 12,286 cases of COVID-19, 91 deaths in 24 hours

In an order dated February 22, the state government said it will divide every school into three wings. If a student from a wing is tests positive, that wing will be closed for 10 days and the entire school will be sanitised. 

Also Read | Bharat Biotech hails PM Modi for setting ‘powerful example’ by taking COVID-19 vaccine

If students from more than one wing are found positive, the entire school will be closed for 10 days. 

190 students and 70 teachers from two government schools in Kerala had tested positive for COVID-19 in early February.