Chennai: An alert has been sounded to higher education institutions in Tamilnadu to follow Covid-19 safety norms after ten students of an Anna University college in Chennai have tested positive for Covid-19.
The health department conducted Covid test for 300 students of Alagappa College of Technology after finding out a hostel student had contracted with Covid-19.
‘Out of 300 students who tested on Wednesday, nine tested positive. They are asymptomatic and admitted to King Institute. The Chennai Corporation will test remaining 463 PG and UG students in the hostel,’ Health Minister Ma Subramanian told reporters after inspecting the college.
He said the samples from the cluster would be sent for genome sequencing to check the virus variant.
He also expressed concern over educational institutes emerging as Covid clusters. Students don’t wear masks in the canteen, and sit close to each other, causing the virus to spread fast, the minister said.
‘Students must wear masks when they are in groups, and should practise physical distancing,’ Subramanian said, and advised the university management to let students dine in batches and maintain physical distance.
Further, Subramanian added that random samples taken from areas like markets, schools and colleges, shopping malls have been sent for genome sequencing to check the virus variant.