Coronavirus: IITs suspend classes and Roorkee goes vegetarian

Adminstration block of IIT-Roorkee (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Team Careers360 | March 14, 2020 | 12:50 PM IST

NEW DELHI: With the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases in the country, Indian Institutes of Technology or the IITs have also taken measures to reduce transmission risk, even some based on bad science.

IIT Roorkee and IIT Kharagpur have both shut down their campuses, suspending classes. And on Friday, IIT Roorkee issued a notice to the chief wardens and wardens “to stop serving non-vegetarian dishes, including eggs” till March 23, 2020.

This was done despite the Indian government as well as the European Food Safety Authority assuring that non-vegetarian food is safe if hygienically prepared and that there is no evidence of transmission of coronavirus by diet. However, IIT Roorkee's office memorandum - shared with Careers360 by a source - said it was taking "all possible preventive measures".

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IIT- Kharagpur has shut down the campus till March 31 as well. The official announcement stated public gatherings, conferences, workshops, seminars have also been suspended as a precautionary measure.

Academic activities have been suspended at @IITKgp until March 31 2020 as a precautionary measure for #CoronaOutbreak. Public gatherings, conferences, workshops, seminars postponed until further notice. Awareness advisory issued. @HRDMinistry @PIBHRD pic.twitter.com/SnBa2LVvjI
— IIT Kharagpur (@IITKgp) March 13, 2020

Advisories and reviews

A statement released by IIT Roorkee, which has extended the mid-semester break, said the cancelled classes will be compensated by utilising weekends. A review of the situation will be taken on March 20 to decide further actions.

Cancellation of classes till 22nd March, 2020 due to the outbreak of #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/GAcMpm4FRS
— IIT Roorkee (@iitroorkee) March 13, 2020

The institute has issued advisory to spread awareness about the spread of novel coronavirus. The disease had claimed two lives in the country and the number of positive cases has risen to 83.

On Thursday, IIT-Delhi also announced cancelling of classes and other forms of public gathering till March 31. The residents of hostels were also asked to vacate their rooms by March 15, late on Friday.

IIT Kanpur also extended the mid-semester break by suspending the classes and exams on Friday. The annual tech-fest at the institute was also cancelled to avoid the risk.

Moreover, all the students who had gone home have been advised not to return to the campus. Plus, a note from the director, Abhay Karandikar said both students who have already returned to the campus or are "returning from vacation" have been "strongly advised to contact the health centre."

Through an email, students of IIT-Hyderabad were informed about the extension of mid-semester break till March 29, Times of India reported. The classes are to resume on March 30. On-campus students have also been advised against travelling outside. Students outside the institute have also been asked to not return, TOI further reported.

On Saturday, a similar email has been sent to the students of IIT-Bombay. The classrooms, laboratories and libraries will remain closed till March 29. The students who cannot go home have been allowed to stay on the campus.

Meanwhile, IIT-Madras is offering online IT skilling courses to prepare for campus placements free of cost to students who would have been impacted by the nation-wide shutdown due to COVID-19. The courses will be offered through an IIT-M incubated start-up- GUVI, which will offer specialized courses to upskill students and make them ‘job ready’.

UPDATE: This copy has been updated to include announcements from other IITs in the country.