Private college in Cuttack closed as students test Covid positive

CUTTACK:  The Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) on Friday ordered closure of Shakti Junior Residential College at Link Road here for 10 days after three students tested positive for Covid-19.
While one of them from Cuttack city is symptomatic, the two others from Mahanga are asymptomatic. The three have been sent to their houses for home isolation. Some employees of the college, who had come in contact with the students, have undergone Covid test, said City Health Officer Satyabrat Mohapatra. 

Meanwhile, the resurgence of Covid infection in the educational institution apparently due to laxity in adhering to safety protocols has raised concern among the parents in Cuttack. The parents and guardians of other students, who left the hostel without screening, are in a state of panic over the issue. “Due to gross negligence of the college authorities, we are afraid that our children might have come in contact with the infected students. The authorities should have screened all the students before asking them to leave the hostel,” they said.

The residential college has 256 students. College authorities said the institution was opened on July 26 and all the students had submitted RT-PCR negative reports.  On Thursday, a teacher of Gopal Smruti Vidyapitha at Sidheswarpur near Kandarpur had tested positive triggering fear of infection among students and parents. The infected teacher was allegedly taking classes till Wednesday ignoring the SOP even though he was symptomatic.  

District Covid Nodal Officer Dr Umesh Ray said the local health officials have been asked to keep tracking of the college students. “The State government had issued guidelines and SOP for educational institutions. But it was found that the college authorities were found violating the Covid protocols,” he said.