Indian Institute of Technology, Madras based on the instruction from the Greater Chennai Corporation has reopened their hostels for students quarantined on campus on New Year's Day. However, only the Bhadra Hostel is yet to open its doors as the students who had tested positive or returned from the hospital after treatment are still quarantined inside the building. Students have been advised not to leave the hostel zone but they are allowed to use the mess for dining purposes during stipulated time spans. They have also been allowed to order food online if they wish to since Thursday night.
"Happy to inform you that based on the instruction from the Greater Chennai Corporation, all hostels (except Bhadra Hostel) will be opened from January 1, 2021, (Friday), 9.30 am. The breakfast on January 1 will be served in the packed form to your hostel. Dining facilities will be opened from lunch-time onward. Each dining hall facility in Himalaya and Nilgiri has been allotted to a respective hostel. The details concerning the allotment of the dining hall/slot number/table/ seat to the respective resident will be provided by the OHM (Office of the Hostel Management). They will send an email including the standard operating protocols. Every hostel resident will strictly follow the dining hall/ slot number/table/seat for the safety of all. For the entry/exit to the hostel and dining facility, card readers will be used," the institute informed students in an email around late Thursday night.
Alankrita Singh, who is a predoctoral fellow at IIT Madras, staying at the Sabarmati Hostel at IIT Madras, said "I am happy that we were allowed to order food online from Thursday. We can also step out of our rooms finally to access the mess facilities or even just take a stroll after such a long time. We have not been granted permission to access the labs yet but I think we will get more information on that real soon."
IIT Madras in their email emphasised that the students should not leave the hostel zone. "You are advised not to leave the hostel zone. Scholars from Sharavati and Sabarmati Hostel shall not use the main road opposite to their hostel. They should use a road adjoining OAT or via the SAC building to reach the Himalaya. However, as the sewage work is underway along the OAT-Himalaya road, you are requested to use a back road from the Sabarmati Hostel," it stated.
The institute added that the instructions for accessing the rest of the campus will follow in due course. Prior to this, the students had complained that the administration had not clearly told them when the quarantine will be over as some had been in quarantine for over 15 days, while some have even been locked inside for more than 30 days. Earlier this week, students had alleged that the food quality had degraded to the extent that students found caterpillars, cockroaches and traces of human hair in their food. IIT Madras had even accepted their claims and said they were continuously fine-tuning the inspection and packing processes.
