Scores of girls test positive for coronavirus in Indian shelter home

Fifty-seven girls living in a shelter home in India tested positive for coronavirus last week, authorities said Monday.

The government-run shelter is located in Kanpur district in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and housed 170 girls, rports the CNN.

All of those who tested positive have been admitted into hospitals, while others, including the staff, have been placed under quarantine, according to Poonam Kapoor, a member of the state's Women's Commission.

Five of the girls who tested positive for the virus were also found to be pregnant, according to Kapoor.

The pregnant girls were brought into the shelter home as they were related to cases involving sexual offenses, the chief of the Kanpur district, Brahma Deo Ram Tiwari, said at a press briefing on Sunday.

Elsewhere in India, Delhi authorities have canceled all leave for medical staff and told all medical institutions to inform their staff to report for duty immediately "without fail."

The Government of National Capital Of Delhi Health Branch issued the order, which has been seen by CNN, on June 19.

In the future, "leave of any kind to staff may only be granted under most compelling circumstances," according to the state authority's order.