IIT Kharagpur Shuts Down for a Week Amidst Rise in COVID Infections; Releases Guidelines for the Same

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur administration has decided to shut down the institute for a week in order to contain the rapid spread of coronavirus in the campus. The decision comes after several medical staff at the BC Roy Technology Hospital tested positive for Covid-19.

IIT Kharagpur has announced that it will remain closed from September 6 to 13, 2020 due to an increase in coronavirus cases within the campus.

It has also asked all its staff who are on campus not to venture out during this period of closure unless there is an emergency. The faculty members will continue to take classes online from home, the institute said.

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Approximately 20 coronavirus cases have been reported from campuses since August 19, 2020 according to an IIT Kharagpur official.

They were either taken home or to a hospital, and most of them recovered from the disease. IIT Kharagpur asked all the students who had been stranded because of the lockdown to leave the campus by June 30, 2020 but a few of them had stayed there.

Schools, colleges, universities and educational institutions across the country have been closed since mid-March due to an outbreak of coronavirus.

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The Institute also issued a list of do's and don'ts, which also includes a ban on the entry of outsiders, except those attached to essential services, during the period when all offices inside the campus remain closed.

However, classes for all students, except those in first-year undergraduate courses, will continue to take place via the online platform. During the period, all faculty and non-teaching staff were asked to work from home.

IIT staff will not be allowed to enter or leave the campus until further notice, except in case of emergency. All shops, including those selling essential goods, have been allowed to remain open until 14:00, while medical stores will operate between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.

However, all other commercial establishments, such as restaurants, lounges, etc., located inside the campus, were asked to remain closed during the lock-down period.

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