IIT Delhi suspends all academic, co-curricular activities as a preventive measure to halt the spread of COVID-19

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi has suspended all academic, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities as part of preventive measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the campus.

"As a part of preventive measures against the spread of COVID-19, the institute has suspended all the academic, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities," IIT Delhi said in an official notice on Friday.

The institute said that these measures include classes and other examinations, events, projects or any other activities which require the presence of students on the campus.

"The students pursuing B-Tech, Dual Degree, MSc, DIIT, M Tech, M Des, and MBA degrees as well as the first-year PhD students have been asked to leave the hostel by March 15 midnight and it is expected that they go straight to their homes," the notice said.

It stated that further instructions on the start of the academic activity and when the students have to report back to the campus will be communicated through email and the institute's webpage.

Meanwhile, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has also suspended all lectures, examinations and events on its campus till March 31, in view of the coronavirus outbreak. Events such as seminars, conferences and workshops on the campus have also been postponed.

The development comes after 82 confirmed cases of coronavirus and two deaths related to the lethal infection have been reported in the country.