Mumbai: 60 active cases on IIT-B campus; students, authorities concerned

Increasing Covid-19 cases is a concern across the state and the situation is no different at the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B)

Increasing Covid-19 cases is a concern across the state and the situation is no different at the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B). From 75 active cases on campus two weeks ago, the figure now stands at 60, with 25 new cases reported so far, this week.

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Institute officials, while warning campus residents to strictly adhere to Covid safety norms including wearing masks while outside, in the past few weeks, have also introduced stricter travel restrictions within and outside the campus. This, say, officials, could’ve helped control the cases on the institute’s premises in comparison to the week before last.

“Our (on-campus) hospital was full last week, but after we shifted students eligible for home isolation to the Hostel-16 C wing, the bed availability in the hospital has improved. We currently have 17 inpatients, and four patients have been shifted to outside hospitals. At present, there are 20 active cases among students,” said an official message circulated by the institute’s deputy director of academic and infrastructural affairs (AIA), Prof. S Sudarshan.

He added that analysis done by their contact tracing team indicates that most infections are coming from travel/commute outside the IIT-B campus, although there are some cases of transmission from within the campus as well.

“The Covid situation in Mumbai continues to be worrying. While a partial lockdown is already in place, there are talks of a harder lockdown In the city. Even if there is a lockdown, we will continue to run our hostel messes and we have also made contingency plans to ensure supply of food to our hostel residents,” states the message addressed to the campus residents. “As of now not many students have approached us, but we have made it clear that if they want to leave, they may do so after discussing the travel risks with their parents,” said Prof Sudarshan.

As per information shared by the institute, at present 2,000 staff members (including faculty, institute staff and project staff) live with their respective families on campus and around 3,000 students have returned to the campus. As a precautionary measure, the institute has already stopped in-person eating at any restaurants on campus (food delivery is allowed), while the hostel mess is functional with safety norms strictly being followed.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, room sharing was stopped and students were placed in individual rooms. In hostels where we’ve found multiple cases, we have asked students to take away food from the hostel mess instead of eating there. We have also shut down all sports facilities as per governor’s orders and we regularly reprimand students who flout safety norms,” added Prof Sudarshan.