As the state experiences a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases, the Punjab School Education Council has announced that it will postpone the 10th and 12th grade final exams by about a month. The move comes because there is no disappointment with new infections: The state recorded 1,843 new cases and 27 deaths on Monday. The Amritsar District Administration requires that all participants in social gatherings in the holy city must submit a negative Covid-19 report or proof that they have been vaccinated.
In a statement, the PSEB said that class 10 exams will now begin on May 4 instead of April 9, while class 12 exams will begin on April 20 instead of March 22. The exams will end on May 24, he said.
According to Janak Raj, PSEB controller (exams), the three-hour exams in grades 10 and 12 begin at 10:15 a.m. and at 2:15 p.m. Raj also said that there are about 6.40 lakhs of students in the tenth grade and twelfth year of PSEB in the state.
Also read: Punjab CM virtually inaugurates 1,467 smart schools
Meanwhile, Patiala authorities have declared the Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology shelters a macro-containment area after 15 other students tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of infected students to 38.
Patiala’s civil surgeon, Dr. Satinder Pal Singh, said that all students living in the dormitories are being screened. “We have a separate shelter to isolate students who test positive,” he said.
The total number of infections in the state reached 199,573, while the death toll rose to 6,099 with 1,843 new cases and 27 additional deaths. The number of active cases also fell from 11,550 on Sunday to 11,942 on Monday.
Jalandhar reported a maximum of 372 new cases, followed by Hoshiarpur (238) and Ludhiana (226). A maximum of eight deaths have been recorded in Hoshiarpur, followed by five in SBS Nagar, four in Ludhiana, two in Amritsar and one in Mohali, Muktsar, Ropar, Tarn Taran, Jalandhar and Gurdaspur.
Currently, there are 26 critically ventilated patients, while 258 are assisted with oxygen.
