IIT Delhi directs students to vacate hostels; JNU, Jamia suspend classes amid virus scare

In an effort to contain the spread of the deadly Coronavirus, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) - Delhi has directed its students to vacate hostel rooms till March 31. The students have been instructed to vacate the hostel rooms by Sunday night while foreign students and PhD scholars are exempted from the directive. The students of B Tech, M Tech, MSc, MBA, and other courses were instructed by IIT-D Assistant Registrar Mukesh Chand on Friday through an e-mail. 

This also applies to students currently living in Nalanda, IP Apartments and off-campus (Katwaria Sarai and Ber Sarai),” the email read. However, the students have been allowed to leave their belongings locked in their respective rooms. 

Meanwhile, IIT-D had earlier suspended classes and examinations until March 31 along with all board events including inter-hostel events. As a precautionary measure, the institute has also prohibited the entry of visitors in hostels and in the campus without any prior permission. 

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JNU, Jamia suspend classes

Earlier on Friday, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) also announced the suspension of classes and examination till March 231. A statement released by JNU Registrar Pramod Kumar read, “In view of the situation arising out of coronavirus (COVID-19), it is hereby notified that all lectures, class presentations and examinations at JNU are suspended until March 31 with immediate effect.” 

Apart from IIT-D and JNU, Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) has also suspended classes till March 31 and advised students to avoid large gatherings. However, the ongoing university exams are set to continue as per the schedule. 

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Coronavirus crisis in India

As of date, the total number of positive cases in India has risen up to 81 - Haryana-14, Telangana-1, Rajasthan-3, Andhra Pradesh - 1, Karnataka-5, Jammu-1, Ladakh-3, Maharashtra- 14, Tamil Nadu-1, Uttar Pradesh-11, Delhi-6, Punjab-1, Kerala-19 (out of which 3 recovered).  India has suspended all visas, barring for a few categories such as diplomatic and employment apart from keeping in abeyance the visa-free travel facility to OCI cardholders till April 15. The government is monitoring all suspected cases and issued preventive advisories. 

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Coronavirus and precautions to be taken 

The coronavirus is a novel strain in the large family of viruses that causes illnesses ranging from the common cold to acute respiratory syndromes. Common symptoms of the novel coronavirus (nCoV) strain include respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties, as per WHO. While there is no vaccine to protect against this family of viruses, WHO has released a list of precautions that must be followed amid the worldwide outbreak of the virus. 

• Wash your hands frequently
• Maintain social distancing
• Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth
• Practice respiratory hygiene
• If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care as soon as possible

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