Hostels vacated, exams postponed as 40 test positive in Lucknow's Institute of Engineering Technology

Nearly 40 students of the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) in Lucknow have tested positive for COVID-19. All the 12 hostels were vacated on Wednesday, January 12 and the examinations have been postponed. As many as 14 hostellers have been quarantined in four hostels while 26 others left with their guardians for home isolation.

The remaining 660 hostellers are either staying behind or are in the process of leaving as a precautionary measure.  A senior health official from the Chief Medical Officer's (CMO) office confirmed that samples of 700 hostel inmates in the institute were collected of which 40 are positive.

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IET Director Prof Vineet Kansal, said, "Examinations have been postponed with immediate effect after our students tested positive. We have quarantined 14 students in three boys' hostels and one girls' hostel. Other students who tested positive were allowed to go with their parents for home isolation on the guardians' request." He said the examinations that were scheduled to be held from January 11 till 24 have been postponed till the COVID situation improves.

"Several students were staying in the hostel as our semester examinations were being conducted. However, we received an email from our director saying that all examinations have been deferred till further notice, so we are leaving," said a BTech student.