In the wake of the rise in COVID-19 cases, the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT Bombay) has tightened restrictions and informed students to avoid visiting shops and retail outlets outside the campus unless it is an emergency. Over 3,000 students have returned to the campus for offline lab, research work and use of technical infrastructure till now.
Students of IIT Bombay who have returned to the campus from their native villages now have to seek permission from their respective hostel warden and head to step outside the campus. A student of IIT Bombay, on the request of anonymity, said, "We have received a direction from the institute administration to step outside the campus only if it is necessary. We have to take a written permission from the warden in case we have to go outside campus for some work."
Among these 3,000 students, majority are from Undergraduate (UG) programmes who have returned to the campus because they were facing technical difficulties in pursuing virtual education due to electric power failure in their native villages, lack of internet network or WiFi connection.
A student who returned to the campus from her native village said, "I could not access virtual classes daily because there was frequent electric power failure in my hometown. I had no option but to return to campus even though cases in Mumbai are on the rise." In addition, students have also returned to the campus for research, use of laboratories and other technical infrastructure.
Subhasis Chaudhuri, director of IIT Bombay said, "We have tightened restrictions on going outside the campus for the safety of students. Students have been informed to step outside the campus only if it is an emergency. They should not go outside campus just for the sake of it. If it is an emergency situation or some urgent work, students can take permission from the warden to go outside the campus."
Also, the institute has imposed guidelines such as mandatory 10-day quarantine for returning students, wearing of masks, maintenance of social distancing and reduced capacity in the hostel mess on campus.
