Pune: 13 students of engineering college test COVID-positive, institute goes back to online classes

At least 13 students of an engineering college in Pune have tested positive for the Coronavirus, an official from the institution said on December 27. As a precautionary measure, the institution has gone back to online classes. Prashant Dave, the registrar of the MIT World Peace University, to which the institution is affiliated, said that all are third-year students who have remained "largely asymptomatic". He added that they are in home quarantine. 

"We follow strict measures, we screen our students at the main gate (of the institution). During the screening, one student was found to have a runny nose and he was immediately sent back. His parents were asked to get his RT-PCR test done," the official said. He said that contact-tracing began as soon as the student's test report came out positive.

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"A group of 25 students, including the index case (the first student who tested positive), were part of a team which was preparing for a national-level competition and working together on an all-terrain vehicle at the college workshop. So far, 13 students have tested positive, eight are negative and the results of four students are awaited," the official said. All the 25 students who underwent the tests were fully vaccinated, he said. He added, "We are keeping a close watch on their health and are constantly in touch with the families."