Karnataka: Manipal Institute declared containment zone after 52 COVID-19 cases
The campus of the Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT), an engineering college located in Udupi district, Karnataka, was on Wednesday declared a containment zone by the Udupi district administration. The development came after as many as 52 coronavirus cases were reported in the campus over the last two days, with 25 cases reported on Tuesday and 27 cases on Wednesday. Here are more details.
Fresh round of COVID-19 tests will be conducted
The areas under the MIT campus were cordoned off and the movement of students in hostels, and others residing in the campus, will be restricted for two weeks. Further, a fresh round of COVID-19 tests will be conducted on students in the campus. District officials said the restrictions are currently limited to the MIT campus and do not cover other areas of the town.
Lab classes postponed, exams may be delayed
Narayana Sabhahit, Registrar of the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), said, "The academic area will be excluded but the hostel areas will be a containment zone. Students in the hostel will be asked to restrict their movement." "We will continue online classes but laboratory classes are postponed. If there are any examinations in the next two weeks, they will be postponed," Sabhahit informed.
Classes to be held online for next two weeks
The MIT administration has sent messages to its staff members and students stating that classes will be held online for the next two weeks. Meanwhile, Udupi district officials said they would collect details about the number of COVID-19 cases reported in the MAHE campus before discussing further steps to contain the spread of the virus.
Karnataka sees a surge in COVID-19 infections
Udupi district reported 33 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, of which 27 were from MAHE. Karnataka, which has witnessed a surge in COVID-19 cases in the last two weeks, reported 1,135 infections on Tuesday and 1,275 on Wednesday. However, after a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa denied speculation around a fresh lockdown or curfew in the state.
India reports highest single-day spike in over 100 days
Several states, including the worst-hit Maharashtra, have been reporting a worrying spike in coronavirus cases in the last few weeks. In fact, India on Wednesday reported more than 35,000 fresh COVID-19 cases, the highest single-day rise in the last 100 days. India has logged over 1.14 crore coronavirus cases and more than 1.59 lakh fatalities due to it so far.
