Covid-19: University and IIT campuses turn quarantine centres

NEW DELHI: With classes on hold, exams postponed and many students sent home, their university campuses have been turned into quarantine shelters. The campuses of Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay in Mumbai and Maulana Azad National Urdu University in Hyderabad were both picked on March 19.

In Mumbai, the buildings taken over included hostels in the Bhaba Atomic Research Centre, or BARC, and IIT Bombay, The Times of India has reported. The move has faced some objections from the student community.

Source: Twitter

Similarly, students in Hyderabad are unhappy with a divisional office of Telangana’s Ranga Reddy district picking Maulana Azan National Urdu University to set up a quarantine facility. Several took to social media to complain or reach out to political parties for intervention. They sought help from RJD’s Manoj K Jha who, in turn, alerted the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Jha later tweeted: “In fact, no university campus should be used for this purpose. That’s a request I make to all concerned authorities.” However, university campuses are clearly being seen as viable options for setting up quarantine centres. The Gautam Buddha University in Greater Noida already has one.

In fact no University campus should be used for this purpose..That's a request I make to all concerned authorities. Jai Hind https://t.co/rdj93elW8m

— Manoj K Jha (@manojkjhadu) March 20, 2020

International travellers.

The “proceedings of the revenue divisional office” at Rajenderanagar, Ranga Reddy were posted on Twitter. They say: "Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Gachibowli, is suitable for developing as quarantine building and ample place for parking of vehicles". It adds that this facility was intended for "international travellers from COVID-19 (Corona) affected countries”.

The quarantine centres in Mumbai too will cater mainly to flyers coming in from various international destinations. It is believed “these centres will largely be used to accommodate C-category patients who do not show symptoms of Covid-19.”

Students resist

The MANUU students’ union wrote to the university authorities explaining that "more than five hundred students are in university campus who have not left for their homes due to financial issues and difficulties in booking tickets”. Their letter requests the registrar to “not had over the university for quarantine centre as it will badly affect lives of the students of our university." They fear the university will see a “complete shutdown for a long time” if it is turned into a quarantine centre.

Requesting Manoj Jha sir please intervene and save the university from complete shut down for a long time. https://t.co/9p6PcV1Ub3

— Imtiyaz Alam@MANUU (@ImtiyazAlamMAN1) March 19, 2020

The IIT Bombay director Subhasis Chaudhary, wrote in an internal communication quoted by TOI that the quarantine area will be properly secured with the help of police as verbally assured by the collector’s office.

In the wake of increasing numbers of people testing positive for coronavirus each day, Mumbai government has shut down schools, colleges, theatres, gyms, swimming pools and malls till March 31, 2020.

Presently, Maharashtra has over 50 confirmed cases of coronavirus infections with one death. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India has 231 currently “active” cases.

Also read:

• Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak: Latest Updates
• COVID-19: India unprepared for shutdown says IIT Kharagpur survey-

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