Back to Campus: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Prior to the commencement of the Monsoon 2021 semester, the institute released a Google form through which students could apply to return to the campus.

The form collected responses regarding vaccination status and history of contracting COVID-19, along with the date of diagnosis, if applicable. If the student marks “interested”, they are supposed to provide details of their travel, emergency contact details, approval from the faculty advisor, blood group, health conditions that increase the risk of a severe case of COVID-19 and details of their medical insurance policy.

Following this, the institute also expects the student to submit a NOC (No Objection Certificate) from their parent/guardian and an agreement to participate in campus events involving screenings, tracking and emergency treatments.

With a few students already on campus, and a few planning to go soon, here’s an itinerary of what to expect:

Inevitably, vaccination plays a crucial role in determining whether the institute accepts your request to return to campus, fully vaccinated students receiving a higher priority. 

On entering the campus, the “in-campus Quarantine and Isolation Facility” is your checkpoint for the next 14 or 7 days (based on your vaccine doses). During this period, even within the campus, activities outside your allotted room are not allowed. Eventually, on being shifted to the main hostel, life becomes easier, but in/out through the Main Gate continues to be strictly regulated.

Currently, out of the four messes, only two are functioning – Yuktahaar and Kadamba. 

The aspect of returning to campus is still surrounded by the anticipation for the third wave of COVID-19, which would shut down all proceedings as it did back around March 2021, when the second wave hit and was quick to reach peaks. However, few more students are returning to campus in the hopes of a permanent return.