SAMBALPUR: Closed since the last nearly eight months due to the prevailing Covid-19 situation, the Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences And Research (VIMSAR), Burla reopened for students on Tuesday.Dean and principal of VIMSAR Braja Mohan Mishra said, almost 95 per cent of the students reported on the first day after the college reopened.
“We are strictly adhering to the guidelines issued by the State government. We have planned to conduct classes in small groups to ensure social distancing. This apart, wardens have been given separate instructions to implement the safety protocols and impose necessary restrictions on movement of students,” he said.
There are nearly 1,000 MBBS students in the college. Earlier, a practical class consisted of 75 students in each group. As per the new rules, each class with only 25 students will be conducted in two separate halls.
Similarly, 250 students were accommodated in a theory class earlier. Now, it has been divided into groups of 75 students who will be taught in two separate halls at a time. Four classes will be taken on each day. Each class will be of 90 minutes and sanitisation will be carried out between subsequent classes.
Congregation of students has been strictly prohibited on the campus and in hostels. Safety measures have been taken in the library too. The wardens have been asked to avoid rush in the hostel mess. Besides, they have been directed to allow students to leave hostels only for unavoidable work. Any type of celebration or gathering in hostel rooms has been banned.
Offline practical classes of first year students commenced on the first day. Mishra said, “The online classes of all batches were started two months back. The offline classes will start shortly after all the students complete their mandatory seven-day quarantine period in the hostel. However, since the first year MBBS students had come a week earlier and their quarantine period is already over, their practical classes have started.”
Third year student Manas Ranjan Sahu said, “We are happy that the college has reopened. It feels good to be back on the campus after such a long gap. We are satisfied with the arrangements made by the college authorities.”