Universities in Karnataka up vigil in hostels as COVID-19 cases surge in the state

With cases mushrooming in educational institutes, vigilance has been increased in university hostels. From keeping hostel occupancy to half to earmarking rooms for preliminary care of symptomatic patients, the authorities are leaving no stone unturned. University of Agricultural Sciences Vice-Chancellor Dr S Rajendra Prasad said two rooms in each of the eight hostel blocks are reserved for preliminary COVID-19 treatment. 

1,000 in dorms
The nearly 1,000 students, mostly female, are accommodated in the dorm rooms meant for visitors or parents who visit the campus. The Vice-Chancellor of Visvesvaraya Technological University, Dr Karisiddappa, said that classes for the final cohort of first semester students will be completed by April 10.

So far, students have been accommodated in batches in the hostels of colleges affiliated to the university, he said. By February, the fourth-year (seventh semester) students were accommodated in the hostels and they left 10 days ago. 

Now, the second-year (third semester) students and the first-year (first semester) students are accommodated in the hostels. While the second-year students will complete their examinations on April 7, first-year students will complete their classes on April 10. “Before reopening for the next semester, the situation will be reviewed with the Education Department. For now, affiliated colleges have been instructed to restrict the accommodation in hostels to one person per room,” he told The New Indian Express. The first semester students will complete their classes by the second week of April and then have their examinations from April 19 till the end of the month. The third-semester students are now permitted to stay in hostel rooms till they finish their examinations on April 7, Dr Karisiddappa mentioned.