61 Students Test Positive In IIM-Calcutta's COVID-19 Outbreak

IIM-Calcutta: 61 students of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta have been tested positive for coronavirus since Friday, April 2 and have been placed into isolation camps inside the campus.

Two buildings have been marked for students who started having symptoms since the end of March in which every single room has an attached toilet.

The institute has tied up with top hospitals in Kolkata and three doctors are in charge of regular guidance on home care.

Since the beginning of April, more than 570 students have left the IIM-C campus while about 335 students are still on campus. However, 61 students in IIM-C are in isolation due to experiencing COVID symptoms.

The President of IIM-C's COVID-19 committee, Professor Prashant Mishra said that all the students have very mild symptoms and no one has to be hospitalised. All the emergency measures have been prepared, and oxygen cylinders and ambulances have been placed in case of any problem.

IIM-C had had some strict rules for entry of students on the campus for months. It was compulsory was students to bring RT-PCR negative reports for entering the campus. When 900 students entered the campus in mid-January, all of them were tested negative for the virus.

The possibility is that some of the students contracted the virus while travelling to the campus and may have spread it to others. According to sources, Holi celebrations by the students are said to be the most probable of the outbreak. The students reportedly violated all IIM-C advisory.

Sources said that there must have been someone who was positive and it spread among the students.

The authorities from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta said that every possible precaution is being taken. Health and civic departments of the state have been contacted and the situation is being handled by taking their advice.

A sanitation drive has been started on the campus to safeguard their students from contracting the virus.

On April 2, seven students tested positive for coronavirus; six were reported on April 4, 12 on April 5 and 19 on April 6, making it the worst day of the breakout. Subsequently, other cases were also reported and 30 students are still waiting for their results.