CHENNAI: The spread of COVID-19 at IIT Madras has left students and professors worried, with the number of confirmed active cases on campus rising to 63.
Several students and faculty members are now demanding that the IIT Madras administration stop all construction work till the situation improves. In a series of emails, a few professors have raised objections over the construction activities during the pandemic.
"It is disturbing to notice the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases in the campus. What is of deeper concern is that construction activities are going on in the campus while student movements are (rightly) controlled. I saw around 10 workers walking together and none were wearing any masks. I was too scared to walk up to them and ask them to wear masks. There are quite a number of people who need to be sensitised!" a professor from the Advanced Magnetic Materials Laboratory, Department of Physics, wrote highlighting the gravity of the situation.
Concurring with his views, two more professors from the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering have also raised concerns about construction workers not following COVID appropriate behavior. "Nothing much will be lost if all construction activities are stopped for the next few weeks. Nothing can be as valuable as human life," a professor said in reply to the email. The New Indian Express has accessed copies of all the email exchanges.
Meanwhile, a resident PhD scholar told The New Indian Express that there is no data on total tests conducted and positivity rate. "Only a single round of testing has been done among the PhD students since the advent of the second wave. According to the current SoP, the hostel zone within the campus is a secure bio-bubble. So, allowing large scale construction activity inside the bubble defeats the purpose," the student said.
In an email communication dated May 10, the IIT Madras deputy registrar (admin) confirmed that there are 63 active cases on campus. The affected persons have been sent to state government institutional quarantine/home quarantine as advised and their family members are under home quarantine. Others who have been in close contact with the affected persons have been advised to remain in self isolation.
The official said during the period of home quarantine, residents should not come out for any purpose. The guidelines for home quarantine/self-isolation issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare should be followed strictly to prevent community spread.
"If any violations are found they will be liable to proceed against Estate rules. We urge the campus community to follow the necessary safety precautions such as maintaining social distance, wearing of face masks, frequent hand washing and avoiding unnecessary travel for protecting yourself and others against COVID-19. In case of minor symptoms such as cough, headache, mild fever, please self isolate immediately and get in touch with the institute hospital over phone," the official added.
In response to the concerns expressed by students and professors, an IIT Madras spokesperson told The New Indian Express, "We are following the rules laid down by the government during the current lockdown regarding construction workers as well as for conservancy staff. The workers are not coming into contact with or near any campus resident. Besides they are checked every day for symptoms and none of them have tested positive. The number of active cases on campus varies and is around 50-60 on some days. The cases are mostly among the apartment residents and among a few students."