IIT-Madras COVID Tally Rises to 182 After 11 More Test Positive On Campus

“There is nothing to panic about. We have not closed the institution. We are ensuring that the cluster doesn't spread to other places," said Dr J Radhakrishnan, Tamil Nadu Health Secretary.

Chennai: The tally of COVID-19 cases continues to rise at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Madras campus, after another 11 people tested positive taking the total number of positive cases in the area to 182, Dr J Radhakrishnan, Tamil Nadu Health Secretary, said on Friday. The Health Secretary urged the people in the area to maintain calm and conveyed that though the college campus is still open, the government along with campus authorities are trying their best to ensure that the COVID cluster does not spread to the other places from the university.

“There is nothing to panic about. We have not closed the institution. We are ensuring that the cluster doesn’t spread to other places,” said Radhakrishnan.

The authorities have also urged people to maintain COVID appropriate behaviour and get themselves tested in case they observe any COVID-19-related symptoms. They also asked people to wear masks while stepping out of their houses and to maintain social distancing in public places.

For the past week, the IIT-Madras campus has seen a rise in coronavirus cases. Tamil Nadu’s health secretary Dr J Radhakrishnan has also visited the campus multiple times to ensure that preventive measures are taken to stave off the COVID uptick.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu on Thursday recorded 77 new Covid cases, taking the total caseload to 34,53,756. The death toll remained unchanged at 38,025. The recoveries reached 34,15,284 with 34 more people getting discharged in the last 24 hours, leaving 447 active infections as per the state’s health bulletin.