Karnataka Minister says laxity caused COVID-19 outbreak in MIT Manipal

District health authorities had sealed the MIT campus and termed it a containment zone on March 17.
K Sudhakar at MIT, Manipal
K Sudhakar at MIT, Manipal
Written by:

Around 900 people in the Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT) campus in Karnataka's Udupi district have been infected by COVID-19, state Health Minister K Sudhakar said on Tuesday. "The campus has been declared a containment zone after 900 people were infected by the virus over the last 10 days," he said after inspecting the sprawling campus in Udupi district of Karnataka.

The Minister citied the vacation after exams as well as laxity in following COVID-19 regulations as the reasons for the outbreak of cases in the campus in MIT, Manipal.

On March 27, the campus reported 667 COVID-19 cases. In the next four days, the campus reported 126, 70, 41 and 18 cases respectively showing a gradual decline in the number of positive cases. The cases were reported after all the students on campus were tested by health officials in the district.

"More people in a single campus spread the infection as many of them didn't follow the guidelines and violated COVID-19 appropriate behaviour," said K Sudhakar. Authorities sealed the MIT campus and termed it a containment zone on March 17. 

There were around 3,500 students on-campus and other members including staff of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) and their families. 

MAHE officials are now in the process of allowing students who tested negative to leave the campus. On Wednesday, it will be exactly two weeks since the containment zone restrictions were put in place in the campus. 

"The government is working to improve and ramp up health services across the state. All primary health centres in cities, towns and villages are being modernised," Sudhakar said, adding that his department had also taken up measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus. 

Karnataka has reported a surge in the COVID-19 cases in the state this month and there are over 25,000 active cases in the state. Bengaluru reported 1984 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday. 

With IANS inputs

Related Stories

No stories found.
The News Minute
www.thenewsminute.com