100 students, doctors of medical college in Punjab test positive

Nearly 100 students and resident doctors of the Government Medical College in Patiala in Punjab have tested positive for Covid-19, officials said on Tuesday.

The district administration has asked all students staying at the hostel to vacate their rooms immediately.

A retirement party and New Year Eve’s party held on the college campus without following appropriate Covid-19 behaviour is blamed for alarming spike in the cases.

This is the second education institution in the state that saw a spike in coronavirus cases. Earlier, 93 students of the Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology in Patiala tested positive for Covid-19.

With the spike in Covid-19 cases, Punjab on Tuesday imposed statewide night curfew daily from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. and ordered closure of all educational institutions till January 15.

The educational institutions include the schools, colleges, universities and the coaching institutions. However, these institutions are expected to maintain the academic schedule through online teaching.

However, medical and nursing colleges may continue to function normally.