The Tamil Nadu National Law University (TNNLU) has refused to shut down the college, despite students demanding so. Students in the college fear that two students have been quarantined since they showed symptoms for COVID-19. The University has denied this.
In a response to representations made by the students to the Vice-Chancellor of TNNLU on March 14 and 15, Professor VS Elizabeth, the Vice-Chancellor said that the TNNLU will close only if the government of Tamil Nadu issues orders for it to be shut down.
“So long as one maintains three feet distance from fellow beings the possibility of spreading the disease does not arise. I am fully aware of what needs to be done and will not contribute to a panic reaction at a time like this,” the response added. The response comes amidst many other colleges in Tamil Nadu, including the National Institute of Technology, Trichy (NIT-T) shutting their campuses voluntarily as a precautionary measure.
The representation submitted by the students to the university administration recently stated that the students live in closed spaces and also share mess facilities and use common utensils. “Moreover, it must be taken into consideration that most people are carriers of the virus and may/may not show any symptoms or be affected themselves, resulting in spreading the virus to others,” the students’ letter added.
The students also met with one of the faculty members, Dr Mahindra Prabhu, regarding the possibility of shutting down the college, during which he allegedly told the students that since there were no cases in Trichy, they were not willing to shut down the university.
“Right after the meeting, we found out that there are three suspected cases of coronavirus in Trichy, who had travelled to Malaysia,” read the mail sent by the students to the Vice-Chancellor.
Pointing out that a majority of National Law Universities have shut down due to COVID-19 scare, the students stated that these universities took the call to suspend classes as a preventive measure. The students had also pointed out that other prominent colleges in Trichy like the National Institute of Technology (NIT) have closed the premises and sent students and faculty members home as a precautionary measure.
On Sunday, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu had announced holiday for students upto class 5 in schools across the state as a preventive measure against the spreading of coronavirus. However, he had not mentioned anything about shutting down colleges. Many colleges in Tamil Nadu have, however, decided to suspend classes and other events in the premises till March 31, to prevent the spreading of the virus among the students and residents of the campus.