In a shocking piece of news, the Covid-19 spread is dreadfully becoming rampant in schools across Tamil Nadu as several school students and staff members are testing positive for the pandemic since the day of the resumption of schools. The Tamil Nadu government has reopened the schools for Classes 9 to 12 on September 1 and also resumed the colleges. However, the resumption of schools has been becoming a cause of concern for parents and various stakeholders. 

According to reports, at least 34 school students across the state had tested positive for the Covid-19 viral infection on Wednesday alone, rising the total tally of cases among the students. It has been reported that a total of 117 school students and a few teachers had tested positive for the pandemic so far as of Wednesday. The development of 34 students testing positive in 24 hours has come at a high time when the state government has strongly been mulling to reopen the schools for Classes 1 to 8. 

The school education department has been discussing with the experts to arrive at a final decision, within this month, of when to reopen the physical classes for the students from Classes 1 to 8. After the discussion with the health department authorities, Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi has on Thursday - September 16, disclosed the report to Chief Minister MK Stalin and the latter will be taking the final call of when the schools for Classes 1 to 8 can be reopened.

Besides school students, college students have also become vulnerable and testing positive for the pandemic. On Wednesday, 16 students attached to KG College of Nursing in Saravanampatti, Coimbatore had confirmed to have contracted the viral infection. With these 16 new cases, the total number of students testing positive for the pandemic in this college had increased to 45 so far as of Wednesday and it has been reported that all the students have been kept under quarantine in the college premises. 

As the sequel of growing Covid-19 cases in this particular institute, the Coimbatore city corporation has imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on the college for not following the Covid-19 protocols and guidelines. The health officials say that four students had returned to the college from Kerala after the resumption and they were possessing a negative report when they came to the college and stayed in the hostel. However, they had developed symptoms and tested positive within two days. 

All four students had tested positive for Covid-19 on September 7 and another 25 students were tested positive in the next few days. On Wednesday, 16 more students had tested positive. The officials had said that the failure of the college management in adhering to the Covid-19 guidelines was the reason for the emergence of clusters. 

According to the state health department, Tamil Nadu has recorded 1,658 fresh cases, 1,542 discharges, and 29 deaths on Wednesday. Overall, the state had recorded 26,38,668 Covid-19 cases so far as of Wednesday of which 16,636 are active, 25,86,786 have been discharged, and 35,246 had succumbed to the viral infection.