NIT Rourkela reports 6 COVID-19 cases

The institute postpones plan to call second and third-year students back to the campus for offline classes. 

The National Institute of Technology (NIT) Rourkela has reported five COVID-19 cases. Among those infected are three BTech final-year students and two professors. Not only this, five of their family members have also tested positive for the virus. 

As per a report published in The New Indian Express, the institute Registrar, PK Das, said a final-year girl student returned to the campus with Covid negative report and stayed in quarantine for a week. After that, her second Covid test was done and the report came positive a day ago. She has currently been kept at the Covid care centre located on the campus. 

Likewise, two BTech students tested positive for the virus on arrival after which they were put in quarantine. The two infected professors and their family members are in home isolation after testing positive. They had returned from West Bengal only recently.  

Sources said BTech final-year students started returning to the campus in phases in December 2021. Students have to produce mandatory Covid negative report at the entry gate, undergo week-long isolation and then they have to go for a second test. 

2,500 final-year students already on campus 

Das said at present, around 2,500 final-year PhD, postgraduate, MTech and BTech students are on the campus. The institute had planned to bring second and third-year students, who are yet to attend physical classes, to the campus in phases. But now, the administration is forced to postpone the exercise after sudden spike in Covid cases. 

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