The district administration should immediately take alternative steps for teaching and non-teaching staff at the Government Engineering College in Bodi, which had been converted into a COVID-19 care centre, as patients move around freely on the campus, CPI (M) district secretary T Venkatesan said here on Sunday.
He told reporters that they have submitted a memorandum to the Collector.
While about 30 to 40 teaching and non-teaching staff visit the college daily, the COVID-19 care centre has 110 in-patients. The staff are exposed to the virus as the entrance for the college and the COVID-19 care centre is the same.
The canteen in the campus has been closed after the attendants of patients visited it for refreshments. The employees, fearing risk, locked it. The staff were put to hardship due to the closure.
The patients use the toilets in the campus also. A faculty of the college said that they could be given the choice of work from home since the campus had been occupied by the COVID-19 19 patients. Some teachers said the government could postpone the entire academic curriculum by two months as the students were also under severe stress.
He said that either the staff should be given alternative arrangements or declare holiday. The district administration should also enhance tight vigil on movement of patients.
He urged the people, who were above 45 years, to get the vaccine shot at the nearest vaccine centre. They urged the parents to take extra care of their children as persons below 18 years of age were getting tested positive to the virus in many districts.
An official from the health department said that they were taking measures after the staff had made a representation to them three days ago in this connection.
