Chennai: Following the IIT-Madras cluster, the Chennai Corporation has taken 6344 samples for Covid-19 testing from colleges and hostels across the city.
According to sources, 210 of these have tested positive and 3733 negative. “Results of 2361 samples are awaited,” sources said.
As for the first cluster, 195 people from IIT-Madras and five from Anna University have tested positive.
“Testing was done in several hostels in Taramani and Guindy. But no positive case turned up,” sources said.
It may be noted that IIT-Madras is placed under temporary lockdown after several of its students tested positive for Coronavirus.
Issuing a circular in this regard, IIT-M said, “In view of the recent spike in Covid cases in the hostel sector, it has been decided to shut down all departments, Centres and the library immediately until further notice. All faculty, staff, project staff and research scholars will work from home until such time. All students, scholars and project staff staying on campus are advised strictly to confine themselves to their hostel rooms and maintain social distance at all times for their own safety. The advisories issued earlier by administration, Tamilnadu government and government of India are to be fully complied with. In case of any symptoms of Covid (fever, dry cough, sore throat, diarrhoea, loss of taste/smell, or any other symptoms), you are required to contact the IIT Madras hospital authorities immediately”.
The campus authorities meanwhile, have stated that they are working concurrently with the civic body, and that packed food is being sent to all students in hostels, thus eliminating the need for crowding in the mess, which was initially cited to be the cause for the infection to have spread.