Karnataka

COVID-19

coronavirus

on Monday evening confirmed the first positive case of(Novel) as the government declared holiday for all primary schools to control the panic. The developments came hours after a leak of an internal email from a school referred to parent of a student testing positive for the virus.Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar confirmed the development to the press late in the evening, hours after the school declared holiday and a major consulting company sent home more than 10 employees who were living in the vicinity of the school."Till further orders all primary schools (till Class 5) to shut from tomorrow (Tuesday). Since children are more vulnerable, this decision has been taken. Already pre-primary schools have been ordered to be closed," Sudhakar said.Earlier, screenshots of the email by the school principal went viral. to the teachers appealed for calm even as she referred to a parent self-reporting the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) infection to seek leave for his child. As the screenshots went viral on social media, even officials caught off guard. The email referred to the panic among the teachers about a "known fact that one parent" from an apartment located near the school "has been screened positive for the coronavirus".However, as some staffers circulated the screenshots of the email on social media, panic spread like wildfire in no time. Thousands of parents who are sending their wards to the schools started calling the principal, who had by then informed the BEO. By 12:30 pm, the school had declared holiday.When contacted, Shanthi Menon principal of the school said she was not aware whether the parent has tested positive. "I received an email from parents on Sunday seeking leave for her child. In the mail, she mentioned that her husband returned recently from overseas had flu-like symptoms. I immediately informed education department officials and also sent an internal communication to our teachers as many of them live in the same apartment," said Shanthi Menon.However, teachers and other parents living in the apartment complex located opposite to the school started panicking as suspect parent also lives in the same apartment.Meanwhile, a major consulting firm sent home about 10 employees who happened to live in the same apartment. It was not clear how authorities of the firm got news of the situation. However, it appreared that the fear that one of the employees may be infected led to the "precautionary measure".