Amid concern over rising cases of COVID-19 variant Omicron, a school in the Ghansoli area of Navi Mumbai has been shut for a week by the authorities after 18 students of the school tested COVID-19 positive.
The sample of one student has been sent for genome sequencing, said Abhijit Bangar, Commissioner, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation.
"18 students of a school in Ghansoli, Navi Mumbai, have tested COVID-19 positive, out of more than 950 students who've been tested. The school will be shut for the next week; remaining students to be tested at their residences today," said Bangar on Saturday.
One of the student's fathers has recently travelled to Qatar, though, he had tested COVID-19 negative.
"The source student's father had a travel history to Qatar but had tested negative upon RT-PCR. The student's sample has been sent for genome sequencing. All close contacts of COVID positive students to be traced for testing," Bangar added.
The School Principal said that doctors informed the school administration that a student of the school has been tested positive for Coronavirus after which every student got tested.
"Doctors called us on December 16 to inform us that one of our students has tested positive for Coronavirus. After that tests are being conducted on every student. So far 18 have reported positive," said BR Jadhav, Principal, Shetkari High School.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra reported eight new cases of Omicron variant of COVID-19 on Saturday, taking the cumulative tally of Omicron cases in the state to 48.
According to the bulletin, Mumbai reported the highest cases of Omicron (18), followed by Pimpri Chinchwad (10), Pune (Rural) (6), three each in Pune Municipal Corporation and Satara, two each in Kalyan Dombivali and Osmanabad and one each in Latur, Buldhana, Nagpur and Vasai Virar.
More than 100 cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 have been reported in the country so far.
( With inputs from ANI )
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