BHUBANESWAR: Amid a gradual rise of COVID-19 infection in the State Capital this month, the campus of premier B-school Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB) was sealed here on Monday morning after the Institute reported a cluster outbreak of at least 23 positive cases in the last 24 hours.
A team from Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) rushed to the XIMB and sanitised the entire campus and sealed the premises until further orders. Around 700 students, faculty and staff are now residing on the institute campus.
All faculties and students of the institute have now been put to Covid test. Besides, no one is allowed to step in or step out of the campus except authorised persons of BMC, stated Municipal Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary in an order. "All the inhabitants within the campus will strictly remain inside. The supply of essentials and medical requirements if required will be ensured by BMC," he said.
The civic body has ordered those who test positive for Covid-19 on the campus should be kept in isolation in separate rooms of a single hostel. They will be kept under observation of the Institute authority. The institute will make necessary arrangements of food for the patients on time by adhering to Covid norms.
The students and staff found positive in subsequent tests will also be kept in the same hostel under isolation. In case of any medical emergency, institute authority have been asked to contact the BMC control Room (7847873040) or the Zonal Deputy Commissioner (North). The BMC has also closed all other institutions located within the boundary of XIMB.
BMC deputy commissioner and nodal officer for Covid-19 management Suvendu Sahoo said contact tracing is in progress to check spread of the virus.
After the State Government allowed reopening of higher education institutions in February, XIMB too resumed classes. However, all students who returned to the campus were first tested and quarantined before physical classes resumed.
The source of infection is being ascertained.