Kelzang Wangchuk | Samdrupjongkhar

Garpawoong Middle Secondary School (GMSS) in Dewathang, Samdrupjongkhar, reported 32 Covid-19 positive cases yesterday.

Out of that, 25 are students, and seven are teachers and supporting staff. There are the first Covid-19 positive cases reported from the school in Samdrupjongkhar this year.

The school has been functioning in self-containment mode since February 7.

According to sources, the students, teachers, and supporting staff were all primary contacts of a student who tested positive on February 16. There are 91 Class X students in the school preparing for their board examinations scheduled for February 28.

Sources said a girl felt sick and was taken to the hospital where she and her attendant were kept under observation for a day. Health officials had also collected their samples for the RT-PCR test on February 15.




“She was confirmed as Covid-19 positive on the following day, while her attendant tested negative,” a source said.

Health officials collected samples from her immediate teachers, room, and classmates for the RT-PCR test, out of which 32 tested positive yesterday. They were all isolated in the school.

It is also suspected that all the staff and students might have come into contact with those who tested positive in the school. However, the concerned authorities are working on deploying a surveillance team and a health official to ensure the students can sit for the exams.

The students and staff were tested for the Covid-19 before reporting to the school on February 7. They had no contact with people from outside the campus, as the school gate was kept locked.




Sources said that those who tested Covid-19 positive are in stable health conditions.

Meanwhile, 69 Covid-19 positive cases were detected in Samdrupjongkhar yesterday, out of which eight are from the community, and 61 are contacts from Samdrupjongkhar, Dewathang and Samdrupcholing.