As many as 187 students and 75 staff members from two schools in Kerala’s Malappuram district have tested positive for the coronavirus, The News Minute reported on Monday.

Malappuram Deputy Medical Officer Mohammed Ismail told the website that large-scale testing was done after a teacher and a student contracted the infection. “Samples of all those who got in contact with the two have been sent for tests,” he added.

The coronavirus cluster has been reported at the Government Higher Secondary School in Maranchery and Vanneri Higher Secondary School in Perumbadappu, according to The Times of India. At the Maranchery school, 148 students and 39 staff members were found to be infected. Meanwhile 39 students and 36 teachers tested positive at the second school.

The authorities collected samples of 582 Class 10 students at Maranchery school after a student from that grade tested positive for the infection first. The samples of Class 12 students will be collected on Monday. All those who came in contact with the infected students and staff members have been asked to go into isolation.


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At the Vanneri Higher Secondary, a teacher had tested positive for the infection, after which 36 staff members and 49 students took Covid-19 tests. All the staff members at the school tested positive.

The two schools have been closed and the authorities are investigating the outbreak, according to The News Minute. They may also test students from others schools in the vicinity. Schools in Kerala had reopened for Classes 10, 11 and 12 in January.

On Sunday, the state reported 6,075 new cases, taking the overall count to 9.68 lakh. Kerala’s toll rose to 3,867 after 19 more deaths were recorded.