IIT-Madras Covid cluster: Tamil Nadu to test hostel students in all colleges – Times of India

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government will test all hostel students residing in colleges and universities following the emergence of a Covid-19 cluster at IIT-Madras. Further, the higher education department directed all educational institutions to permit takeaways for hostel students if they have only one mess or if space is inadequate to maintain social distancing.
The health department has threatened to initiate action against educational institutions under the Epidemic Diseases Act and the Tamil Nadu Public Health Act if protocols mentioned in the SOPs are not followed.
“We won’t be begging institutions any more. If rules and SOPs are violated, we will be fining them,” health secretary J Radhakrishnan said.
He further said working women’s hostels and mansions also would be screened in coming days.
Officials from the Greater Chennai Corporation started screening the hostel students at College of Engineering, Guindy (CEG) in Anna University on Tuesday after a student reported with fever.
“Four teams from the corporation are testing all hostel students at CEG campus. We are still awaiting the test results of the student who gave his samples yesterday,” said S Iniyan, dean, CEG. There are more than 700 students residing at the hostels following the reopening of colleges for final year UG students.
Greater Chennai Corporation commissioner G Prakash said the civic body would conduct Covid tests in all educational institutions including private institutions.