2,800 school employees show Covid infection in Maharashtra – Times of India

MUMBAI: As many as 2,800 teaching and non-teaching staff in government schools in the state have tested positive for Covid-19 when they took the RT-PCR tests. All such teachers and staff with Covid infection cannot report to school till they recover fully and get a negative report.
The highest positive reports have come from Chandrapur, with 265 teachers and 115 staff members, showing Covid-19 infection.
Tests for over 2 lakh teaching and non-teaching staff have been conducted so far, and results of another 1 lakhwill be out in this week.
The tests were made mandatory by the state government before reopening of schools on November 23. Only those teachers who tested negative for the infection were allowed to report to teach standards IX, X and XII.
The drive started around November 19, after the state announced the reopening of the schools for senior classes.
All schools have been shut since March, but since standards IX, X and XII are crucial years, the state decided to allow physical classes.
Educational institutes in rural areas permitted face-to-face teaching for these classes while civic bodies in the state said they would wait.
An MSCERT official said, “Covid-19 testing is still under way in many districts and their reports are coming in. Teachers and non-teaching staff who tested positive are being treated at government-run Covid care centres.”