COVID-19: Gujarat students from class 1 to 9 and 11 to be promoted without exams

Ashwani Kumar, Secretary, State Information and Broadcasting Department on Tuesday said that all students from class 1 to 9 and 11 will be promoted without examinations in Gujarat as the schools have been closed in the wake of Coronavirus.

Gujarat Chief Secretary Anil Mukim said that the total number of coronavirus positive cases in the state rises to 35. He also said every Minister of the state will be donating their one-month salary towards coronavirus relief work.

"Today we received 110 samples. 97 samples are done with testing, 2 of these were found positive, both are from Rajkot. One of them has a travel history to a foreign country," he said.

In his address to the nation on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day lockdown in the entire country effective from midnight to deal with the spread of coronavirus, saying that "social distancing" is the only option to deal with the disease, which spreads rapidly.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), India has reported about 536 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19. Eleven people have died so far due to the deadly virus.