What went wrong on IIT-Madras campus

What went wrong on IIT-Madras campus

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai: 16.12.2020

The Covid-19 case tally at IIT, Madras, went up to 183 with 79 more students testing positive on Tuesday. Public health officials have identified crowding at the mess and sharing of toilets as one of the reasons for the cluster.

According to the Covid-19 registry, IIT-M reported two cases on December 1, and in the next 15 days the rate of transmission increased pushing the positivity rate to 19%. “It (cluster) has happened before in jewellery shops and meat markets. In every case, it was a violation of the epidemic protocols,” state health secretary J Radhakrishnan said.

In March, when the state announced a lockdown, 335 students continued to stay in the hostels. When public transport resumed, the institute sent some students back to their homes and the strength in the hostel came down to 180. “This is not the first time the institute is reporting a case,” a student said. “Months ago, when students tested positive, the institute sanitized the hostel and quarantined all students. There were no clusters. But this time, no sanitization of buildings or quarantine was done,” the student said.

One of the main reasons for the spread was overcrowding at the mess. The institute operated one mess for 180 students during the lockdown-.But when the campus reopened and the student strength increased to 774, the management still operated just one mess, the Himalaya mess. “It is the only place where students from all hostels meet. All mess employees have tested positive. What else could be the source?” a senior faculty member said.

Following the Covid cluster at IIT Madras, students in city college hostels are being tested