Teacher tests positive; 152 including students quarantined

• reports say, none of them have tested positive for the virus

By Sheain Fernandopulle  

At least 152 people including students have been subjected to quarantine after they are alleged to have maintained close links with a physics teacher of a semi-government school at Gampaha, Gampaha Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Subash Subasinghe said.

He told Daily Mirror the teacher had tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday and had caught the virus from his brother-in-law, who had driven the vehicle in which a counsellor had travelled to the Rehabilitation Centre in Kandakadu.   

Dr. Subasinghe said prompt measures had been taken to identify the close contacts of the teacher, who also conducts tuition classes at Gampaha.  

 52 people including the staff members and students of the school and another 100 students of tuition classes, were subjected to PCR tests.  

“According to the reports, none of them have tested positive for the virus,” Dr. Subasinghe said.   

The teacher is a resident of Yakkala.  

Dr. Subasinghe said they would continue to conduct more PCR tests on the contacts, who had tested negative.  

• Prompt measures have taken to identify the close contacts of the teacher, who also conducts tuition classes at Gampaha

65 including students to undergo pcr tests at Kahathuduwa

Another 65 people including a teacher, students and their parents were directed to undergo PCR tests after a student who participated in a tuition class tested positive for COVID-19, Kahathuduwa Medical Officer of Health told Daily Mirror.   

He said the student was among the three persons including two students, who tested positive for the virus on Sunday.  The infected patients have been identified as contacts of COVID-19 patients at the Rehabilitation Centre in Kandakadu.   “One of the infected students had participated in a private tuition class and therefore, the tutor, the students and their parents were subjected to PCR tests and sent for self-quarantine,” the Medical Officer said.