CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu will test students and staff from more educational institutions across the state in the wake of the sudden spike of Covid-19 cases on the IIT Madras campus. The tests will be done on priority in institutions that have a common dining hall, crowded spaces or a limited number of hostel rooms.
"Enough of pleading and appealing. If we find that some higher educational institutions are found violating the Standard Operating Procedure announced by the government, action will certainly be taken against them," said Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan.
The testing will be extended, in a phased manner, to working women's hostels and other residential premises where people have to share eating or washing facilities, he added.
"Wherever hostels are there, depending on the need, Covid-19 tests should be taken. We have asked the Higher Education Department to gradually test all colleges with hostels in a phased manner," he said, suggesting that colleges should allow for students to take away food from the mess to their own rooms to eat, instead of sharing a common space at the same time.
The rapid spread within the IIT Madras campus has called attention to safety within educational institutions. While the Chennai Corporation has already started testing students in Anna University and University of Madras, the testing will soon be extended to cover other educational institutions as well.
After extensive testing on campus, two students at Anna University showed symptoms of Covid-19. However, they later tested negative, said sources.
"We have been following all safety precautions from the state's SOP," said Anna University Vice Chancellor MK Surappa.
All students at the Taramani and Guindy campus of University of Madras will be tested this week and appropriate measures will be taken based on the results, said S Gowri, the Vice Chancellor of the varsity.
"We requested the Corporation to come take swab samples. All students are healthy and nobody has complained of any symptoms so far. We have asked students to report any symptoms," he said.
He added that the university has made all classes voluntary and encouraged students to study remotely as much as possible.
"Since there are only about 100 students in each campus, it has been relatively easy for us to manage. Classes will continue being voluntary for the time being, especially for undergraduate students," the Vice Chancellor said.
Lalitha Balakrishnan, Principal, M.O.P. Vaishnav College for Women, said emphasising that classes are voluntary has allowed students to prioritise their safety.
"We have asked only a small number of students whose stream of study needs hands-on experience. For example, media students who need to learn to use cameras have been called," she said.
"We did an internal survey and realised that most students are hesitant to return. They say that even if college takes all precautions, they are afraid to travel as they have aged family members," Balakrishnan said, adding that students learn effectively only if both the teacher and the student are in a state of ease.
"When fear sets in, they are unlikely to learn anyway," she said.