Over 600 Institutions Converted Into Quarantine Centres: HRD Ministry
Over 600 institutions of higher education -- universities, colleges and institutes -- have had campus buildings and hostels converted into quarantine centres to manage the coronavirus outbreak.
Sharing the figure by a social media post on Thursday, the Ministry of Human Resource Development, or MHRD, thanked institutions across the nation for coming forward and making way for quarantine or isolation centres.
A nation-wide lockdown was enforced by the Union Government from March 25 to control the spread of coronavirus. The lockdown is in its fourth phase now and relaxations in the guidelines have allowed movement of students, migrant workers and people left stranded at various places across the country. To lessen the spread of coronavirus, these groups, upon reaching their destination, are required to stay in quarantine centres. This has raised the demand for quarantine centres dramatically.
COVID-19 Quarantine
With classes on hold and many students at home due to the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown, campuses of various educational institutes have been turned into quarantine shelters. In the case of several universities, including Jamia Millia Islamia University in Delhi and several in Assam, hostel residents have been asked to clear out their belongings from their rooms.
MHRD, in the social media post said:”We thank these institutions for coming forward to join us in the fight against COVID19!”
The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, or IIT Bombay, had had some of its building converted in March itself. Many more, including Indian Institute of Management Shillong (IIM Shillong), Kendriya Vidyalaya hostels, universities in Assam were added later. In many of these institutes, student residences are being converted to function as quarantine or isolation centres in India.