As we all are aware that it has been almost 6 months since India has been imposed under lockdown due to the sudden outbreak of coronavirus pandemic.
Thereby, it was ordered to all the universities and colleges to remain closed until further notices.
There were many students during this time, who could not move back to their hometowns and had stayed in their campus hostels. The same is the case with some students of IIT Kharagpur.
Student Tested Positive for Covid-19: IIT Kharagpur
On Wednesday, an IIT Kharagpur student staying in its campus was tested positive for COVID-19. Therefore, the Institute decided to seal all the hostels, an official said.
The Institute in June asked all the students, who could not return to their places earlier and were staying in the college campus, to leave the campus by June 30 and return later for the next semester. But a few of them still remained there. The student who was infected with COVID-19 was one of them.
“The student was sent to Kolkata,” said the official without elaborating as the student does not want to be quoted. The hostel where the student was staying was sanitized properly, he added.
“All students who are presently staying in the campus must vacate the hostels latest by August 23, 2020, and proceed to their hometowns,” a notice issued by the Institute’s Hall Management center said.
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IIT Kharagpur: Plans For Next Semester
Before this incident, IIT Kharagpur authorities had already decided to ask its students not to come back to the campus for the next semester, the classes for which will be held through online mode from September, Registrar BN Singh told PTI.
“The COVID-19 situation is still alarming and we cannot endanger the health of our children. We have asked the guardians not to send their wards to the institute till asked,” Singh added.
The institute will now follow the advisories of the West Bengal and Central Governments regarding the opening of campuses and assess the situation periodically on its own, said BN Singh.
Singh further added, Though public transports have partially resumed, it still might take 2-3 months for the students to return to the campuses. However, online classes for the next semester will not be delayed and will start in September.
“They will have a way out I think. They can use smartphones of others and avail network facilities from a connected place nearby,” Singh said when asked what would happen to those students living in remote areas with poor connectivity or those not having smartphones or other facilities at home. Besides, if a student is unable to attend classes due to these issues, he or she would be allowed to have special classes later to clear the backlog after the resumption of campus activities.
The institute has around 12,500 students and researches who stay at hostels.
