Ahmedabad: Two premier educational institutes of the country — Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar in Gujarat — were badly hit by the new wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The IIM-Ahmedabad currently has 40 active COVID-19 cases, while IIT-Gandhinagar has 25 cases, according to official sources of news agency PTI.
“The IIM-A campus was almost COVID-free with only isolated cases till March 12. Subsequently there was a rise in infections, mostly among students. Many of these cases are asymptomatic,” the institute said via a statement on Saturday.
Initially, five cases were reported on March 12-13, the statement added.
A total of 23 persons — 22 students and a professor — tested positive during the testing on the campus and were isolated immediately, deputy health officer of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, Mehul Acharya was quoted as saying by the agency.
“All infected persons have been shifted to a quarantine hostel although they are asymptomatic. Staff, faculty and family members have been asked to quarantine themselves at home,” said the IIM-A statement.
The IIT Gandhinagar campus has also witnessed a spike in the number of cases. “Over the last few days, 25 students have tested positive. They have been isolated and are being looked after by our medical teams. No faculty or staff member has tested positive so far,” the IIT-Gandhinagar spokesperson said.
As many as 2,190 COVID-19 cases were reported in Gujarat on Friday, the highest single-day rise since the start of the pandemic. The state currently has 10,134 active COVID-19 cases.
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