with 208 fresh positive cases and one death in the last 24 hours, informed the health department on Monday. More than 200 new positive cases have been reported for the fifth consecutive day in the state. A 35-year-old male Covid positive patient of Kalahandi district, who was also suffering from Diabetic Keto-acidosis with chronic kidney disease, succumbed to the deadly virus, the department said. Of the fresh positives, 122 were detected in quarantine centres while the rest 86 are local transmission cases. Nuapada reported a maximum 36 cases followed by Khordha (33), Bargarh and Kalahandi (22 each) and Cuttack (15). With the new Covid cases, the caseload rose to 3,40,402 in Odisha. The active cases in the state stood at 1737. Meanwhile, the state government on Monday said government schools will not be closed for the students of Class IX and XI. National Institute of Technology (NIT) Rourkela, Xavier Institute of Management Bhubaneswar (XIMB), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bhubaneswar, Allen Institute Bhubaneswar and a private college in Cuttack have reported positive cases in the past few days. "Only the students of private educational institutions who have come to the state from outside hotspot destinations have been infected with the virus. No one from government schools or hostels in Odisha has tested positive for Covid-19 yet. The decision regarding closing the schools have not been taken yet," said School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash. He said the schools are conducting classes by following all Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). /IANS