After coronavirus outbreak in the students and hospital staff of SDM college at Dharwad last week, 15 students of two nursing colleges at Tumakuru tested positive of the virus. The students were from Kerala who have been isolated.

Eight students in Siddaganga Nursing College and seven in Varadaraju College have contracted the infection. Over the instruction of the state government to ramp up testing, the officials from the health department tested 200 students of nursing colleges in and around Tumakuru. A majority of students in most of the colleges are from Kerala.

“All the students who tested positive are studying in first-year of the nursing course whose entire classes have been suspended temporarily. District Health and Family Welfare officer Dr Nagendrappa said.

It may be recalled that a total 281 students and hospital staff of SDM tested positive of the virus last week. The outbreak was due to attending the programme organised to welcome first year MBBS students on Nov 17 at Dharwad.

Meanwhile, two persons who have returned from South Africa to Hosapete (Vijayanagara), have been quarantined in home. Their RT-PCR tests have come out negative, said Taluk Medical Officer Dr Bhaskar.