In light of the second wave of COVID-19 infections and spike in cases on the campus, the college administration has asked all students (UGs as well as PGs) residing in the hostels to vacate their rooms and leave the campus by 5pm, 26th April. Only the non-graduating students can retain their rooms while graduating students are required to completely empty their rooms. The instructions, however, do not apply to those living in ‘non-hostels’ (SBRA, CPWD quarters, etc.) and those under quarantine currently. The Dean of Student Affairs, in his emails, cited the grim situation on the campus and overstressed healthcare support system in the city to have led to the decision.
The Dean sent an email two days ago (20th April) asking all UG students to vacate. Currently, there are around 500 Y17s who came back to campus in March itself. The return of the final batch (out of 3) of students was suspended due to the spike of Covid cases on campus. To discuss the possibility that PG students might also be sent back, the President, Student Gymkhana and the Chairperson, Student Senate conducted an emergency General Body Meeting (GBM) for all the PG students on the same night. The email asking all PG students to vacate was sent yesterday (21st April).
The Current Situation
As of 22nd April, there are 113 active COVID-19 cases on campus, out of which 58 are student. Over 200 students and 150 residents are in quarantine/isolation, many of them awaiting RT-PCR test results. A mail sent by the director appeals for co-operation by campus residents, highlighting the following issues being faced by the healthcare system in IIT Kanpur right now:
- There is a lack of availability of beds for Covid patients in city hospitals.
- The Health Centre is currently under tremendous pressure handling all kinds of health services such as routine consultation, medicine delivery, emergencies and interacting with city hospitals for support. HC is also handling both Covid and non-Covid patients. Presently, 12 medical staff (including nurses, doctors and paramedic) are not able to contribute because of quarantine related protocols.
- There could be a crisis for arranging even oxygen cylinders if requirement and usage volume increases rapidly since there is a short supply in the city.
- There are no rooms available in VH1/2 or VFA (quarantine centres), and no backup accommodation for isolation. There is a shortage of housekeeping staff which makes it increasingly difficult to handle such requests from campus residents.
- Many administrative sections and offices such as DoRD, DoAA etc., are affected because many of the officers are either themselves infected with Covid or struggling with the illness of someone in their family. Delays and inconvenience should be expected given the circumstances.
The director and DoSA, in their previous mails, have strongly encouraged students on campus to return home due to the issues being faced. They have also stated that many people on campus are violating the strict guidelines that have been set to avoid a dangerous situation. According to the emails sent by the Director dated 16th and 24th March, people on campus are not wearing masks properly and gathering in large groups. As the situation has grown more severe, the guidelines have also become stricter with lockdown periods, limiting office staff, closing indoor facilities and the academic area, fines for not wearing masks and prohibition of large social gatherings. Yet, there is evidence of students flouting these guidelines.
The PG GBM
The GBM began with an address by the President, Student Gymkhana. He stated the reported number of active Covid cases and acknowledged that the actual number might be a lot higher. The healthcare system of both the city and the campus is severely overloaded. Due to the spike in cases in Kanpur, the RT-PCR test conduction and results are also getting delayed. Hence, it will be very challenging for the campus to handle a worse outbreak. Under the current conditions, the campus is very unsafe. He stated that the student representatives had already communicated to the administration that PG students should only be encouraged and not forced to leave the campus. However, the student representatives themselves also requested and strongly encouraged students to leave, if possible. The final decision was supposed to be taken in a meeting scheduled yesterday.
Following the address by the PSG, a poll was conducted in the GBM. It turned out that nearly 57% of the students wanted to stay on campus, 21% were unsure and 22% were completely willing to go back home.
After this, a number of PG students voiced their opinions and concerns. The major concerns discussed were-
- People with crucial pending research work should be allowed to stay since a lack of practical and experimental experience is going to negatively impact their career. Jobs have already been affected due to the pandemic.
- Many people are flouting guidelines and roaming in big groups without a mask. The enforcement of guidelines on campus should be much stricter and there should be some severe punishment. One student even used the term ‘suicidal behaviour’ to describe the actions.
- A student, who was quarantined in VH2 after he got a fever, said that the condition in quarantine centres on campus, health centre and the hospitals in Kanpur is terrible. The institute cannot handle a COVID outbreak, and people should go back home.
- Currently, the situation is terrible almost everywhere in the country and travelling during the pandemic certainly will not help. It is very probable that one might catch COVID during travel and endanger the lives of their own family.
- With so many active cases on campus, there would be many cases that would be asymptomatic as well. Students stressed the ethical responsibility of the admin to ensure that they are not sending infected students outside, causing even more spread and risking hundreds of lives. The institute should not try to shed this responsibility.
At the end of the GBM, the PSG strongly insisted the PG students get their issues across to their guides and professors to make their voices heard. The student representatives took a firm stance and again stressed that they have already asked the administration to not force PG students to vacate the campus. They also said that if the students can leave, they should.
Also, while the above concerns were discussed in the PG GBM, the last two points apply equally well to the decision of sending back hundreds of UG students. The fact that this decision will cause the spread of COVID on some level is certain, and the students travelling via public transport would need to exercise extreme caution. The institute is offering to arrange travel and RT-PCR tests required for travel, if needed. The institute will also arrange for safety equipment like face shields to ensure the safe travel of students.
Many PG students are against this decision and the Gymkhana office bearers are in constant touch with the administration to reach a compromise. This is a developing situation and further details are awaited.
The second wave of Covid is wreaking havoc across the country. We request all our readers to take all precautions and hope that everyone stays safe.
Credits – Abhimanyu Sethia, Ananya Gupta, Dev Barbhaya
