Over 100 COVID-19 cases detected in College of Engineering Trivandrum, shutdown ordered

Thiruvanathapuram: The College of Engineering Trivandrum (CET) was shut here on Thursday after over 100 students within the campus contracted the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. A week-long online classes have been announced by the college authorities.

More than hundred individuals, including students, have tested positive for the disease, thus forcing the authorities to declare the college campus as a cluster.

(Cluster refers to an aggregation of cases of a disease. A coronavirus cluster occurs when there is a concentration of infections in the same area at the same time.) 

"Online classes will be held at the college from January 13 to 21. Arrangements have been made in the college to test students on January 14," Jiji C V, CET Principal, informed.

All students excluding those from other states have to clear the hostel, authorities informed. 

Kerala's Education Minister V Sivankutty will meet Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday to discuss the prospect of closing schools amid the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in the state.

There has been an increasing demand to shut down schools from primary classes (Grade 1 to 7) in Kerala.

The final decision to this respect will be arrived at after the periodic COVID-19 review meet on Friday. The shut down of higher education institutions is currently not under consideration.

On Wednesday, the daily COVID-19 cases crossed the 10,000 mark for the first time in Kerala after two-and-a-half months. As many as 72,808 samples were tested of which 12,742 were found positive, thus the Test Positivity Rate (TPR) shot up to 17.5 percent.