A total of sixty students have tested positive from the Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law in Patiala. The campus later was declared a containment zone.
The tally of total positive cases increased by 40 the previous day after which the district administration declared the University a containment zone. On Tuesday, 20 students got infected, and 40 students tested positive on Wednesday. The deputy commissioner ordered the health department to assist the university in controlling the spread of Covid-19 after reports of 40 positive students reached the district administration authorities on Wednesday morning.
In a report given to the Tribune, the deputy commissioner Sakshi Sawhney said,
“I have reviewed the COVID cases at the RGNUL. Health teams have been deployed since the last three days. The university was advised to follow an SOP and to keep constant liaison with parents. Those who are positive have mild symptoms and have been isolated in separate blocks. It has been declared a containment zone and 100 per cent testing is to be completed”.
After the students made a representation which highlighted the concerns of Covid outbreak, the RGNUL COVID Committee kept a meeting where they made the following decisions as per the advisory of medical experts:
- The offline end-term exams are postponed till further notice.
- The classes for whatever course is left will be conducted in an online mode.
- All students who have not tested positive will have to leave the hostel before 10 May.
Among all this, students have blamed the University’s poor sanitation and management for the spread of the deadly infection. A fourth year law student spoke to the Bar & Bench. He said
“The only step that was taken by the administration is that they arranged for RT-PCR tests for students on campus on 3rd and 4th of May. Until Monday, students were going out to private labs to get tested. However, the tests being conducted by the University-arranged medium is only for mouth swabs and not nasal swabs, which is against the MCI guidelines.
The infrastructure is inadequate on campus as students tested positive are made to isolate themselves in the same hostel rooms, which have just enough space for 2 beds and a washroom.”
He also reported that the University’s health center was running out of drugs to address even minor cold, cough, and fever symptoms.
Because of the University’s piecemeal approach, a student approached Dr Lal Path Labs (the closest private COVID testing center) and was refused service due to an email received by the University instructing the Center not to accept samples from RGNUL students.
The students delivered a presentation to the administration this morning, outlining the developments on campus, after getting favorable feedback from 44 students from the examinations done yesterday. This was signed by 338 University students. The representation stated, among other things:
“The University is obligated to declare the total count of COVID positive patients including those who have been tested positive from government-accredited private labs. Additionally, the particulars of COVID-19 positive patients, such as their names and isolation rooms, should be declared to enable contact tracing and isolation protocols as mandated by government guidelines. Therefore, we humbly request the University Administration to disclose accurate COVID-19 numbers.”
The representation also highlighted the inefficiency of the University to contain a potential outbreak by saying,
“In a residential campus like ours, the implication of COVID outbreak is far more overreaching, and the University officials must recognize the same. We share common spaces such as washrooms, mess, recreational areas and the like. In this regard, the lackadaisical attitude of the University officials, cleaning staff and mess workers exposes the inhabitants of the university to a greater risk of contracting COVID-19.”
The chances of this tally of 60 is supposed to increase more as there have been some farewell parties and students have not followed the proper covid protocols.
Covid-19 in India
Covid-19 has shown some signs of making a comeback during recent times. Reports from all over the country have surfaced about the Covid-19 outbreaks. In IIT Madras the total tally of covid positive people has reached 170. But still the college is open and running usually. The Principal Health Secretary Dr J Radhakrishnan had said, “The government and authorities are trying their best to ensure that IIT Madras Covid cluster doesn’t spread to other places.”
The Union health ministry said early Thursday that India had registered 3,275 new cases in the last 24 hours, which is 2.2 percent more than the number announced yesterday. With the addition of new cases, the country’s total caseload has risen to 4,30,91,393.
Delhi leads the way with 1,354 cases, followed by Haryana (571 cases), Kerala (386 cases), Uttar Pradesh (198 cases), and Maharashtra (188 cases).
In the meantime, 55 more deaths have been reported in the country in the previous 24 hours, bringing the overall number of Covid-19-related deaths to 5,23,975.
