As the school reopening in Tamil Nadu has stirred a cause of concern after several students and teachers had tested positive for the Covid-19 viral infection, the state government will be convening a major meeting on Wednesday to take stock of the situation and to review the pandemic spread in the schools. According to reports, Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary Irai Anbu will be chairing the meeting which will be held at 3 pm on Wednesday. 

During the virtual meeting which will also be attending by the officials of the School Education Department, the Chief Secretary will be discussing the situation with all the district collectors. The reports say that the government will enhance the measures and guidelines at the schools to curb the spread among the students while strictly enforcing the existing measures. The meeting will come a day after Health Minister Ma Subramanian has said that the schools where the students had tested positive will be closed. 

Though there have been no major signs that the government will reconsider its decision of reopening the schools, the sources say that the raising concerns behind the decision would also be on the card of discussion in Wednesday's meeting. It has been reported that the Tamil Nadu government will be issuing a major announcement after the meeting. The state government had reopened the schools on September 1 for classes 9 to 12. Wednesday - September 8, has marked the first week of the resumption, however, it has become a cause of worry. 

At least 15 school students and six teachers across Tamil Nadu had tested positive for the pandemic so far as of Monday.  A majority of students who tested positive were identified that they had contracted the disease after conducting random tests at the schools while some of the students had shown symptoms. The schools which have reported multiple cases were closed while the institutions that reported fewer cases are functioning after complete sanitisation. 

On the front of teachers, a government school teacher in Karur was tested positive last week and two teachers of the same school in Cuddalore had tested positive, while two teachers and a headmaster of a government school had confirmed to have contracted the pandemic in Tirupur and Kallakurichi districts respectively on Monday. Until Sunday, six students and three teachers had tested positive and the cases are surging in the schools despite the vaccinations and Covid-19 guidelines. The rising numbers had stirred a major challenge for the government, prompting to discuss the matter seriously. 

According to the state health department, Tamil Nadu has reported 1,544 fresh Covid-19 cases, 1,576 discharges, and 19 deaths on Tuesday. Overall, the state has recorded 26,25,778 cases so far as of Tuesday of which 16,205 are active,25,74,518 have been discharged, and 35,055 had succumbed to the viral infection.