Covid safety at hostels a matter of concern

KOCHI: With the government giving colleges the go-ahead to commence classes, students coming from far off places are having a hard time finding accommodation as many institutions don’t have hostels that can facilitate them as per Covid protocol.“Our college hostel has been functioning since Sunday. However, adherence to Covid guidelines is a matter of concern as the facility does not have single rooms,” said Mathew Philip, principal, Maharaja’s College. The rooms are shared by three students. Unlike on campus, where monitoring students is easy, one can only hope that the inmates will act smart and abide by the rules in hostels, he added.

According to Lizzy Mathew, principal, St Teresa’s College, they have come up with a plan to mitigate the problem. “At present, the exams of UG second-years are going on. So, we have only them and final year PG students on the campus. Those UG students appearing for the exams, who need accommodation, have been provided with the same in the college hostel,” she said.

Once the exams are over, we will be calling in final year UG and first year PG students. This should avoid crowding in hostels, she added.Besides, college hostels which have been functioning as FLTCs, are waiting for the government to release the buildings.