Tamil Nadu said the COVID situation in four universities in Chennai is under control (File)
Chennai:
Tamil Nadu has reported COVID-19 clusters in four universities in the state capital Chennai, the state health minister said today.
The clusters could be due to a large number of students returning to Chennai universities from northern states such as Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and neighboring Kerala, where COVID-19 cases are increasing every day, Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma. Subramaniam told reporters.
Subramaniam said that out of 15,000 students at VIT University, 80 per cent came from northern states on May 12 and 13.
The minister said that at least 118 students – all asymptomatic – have tested positive at VIT University. He said around 4,902 students were tested in the university and 1,500 more students would be tested.
“After universities came to know about this, we intervened quickly. Universities have been asked not to shut down. Social distancing is being followed in the dining hall,” the minister said.
Mr Subramanian said the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, or IIT-Madras, and Sathya Sai University, which had previously reported cases of Covid, are now free of new cases. The Health Minister said that the situation in Anna University is also under control.
India reported 2,745 Covid cases this morning.
Mumbai has warned of a spike in Covid cases as the positivity rate, or number of cases per 100 tests, reaches 6 per cent. The Mumbai municipal agency said it would increase testing on a “war footing”.