The University of Hyderabad (UoH) has advised its students to return home to minimise the risk of exposure to COVID-19. Classes and examinations will be conducted online only.
“Students staying in hostels and other campus residences should go home in their best interest as the university has limited resources to isolate students infected by the virus. While we are making all efforts to address the evolving situation, we may be forced to escalate our decision if the numbers increase,” Vice-Chancellor B.J. Rao said in a statement.
He said the increase in the number of cases is causing stress on student welfare and healthcare systems available on the campus. “UoH will not be able to accommodate infected students and staff beyond a point. Therefore, we appeal to them to return to the safety of their homes,” he said.
Meanwhile, the UoH Task Force has recommended that classes will continue online for all semesters. The end-semester evaluation will also be conducted online or open book or take-home mode as was done during the second wave of COVID.
The UoH Health Centre is also making self-testing kits available at the pharmacy. Stakeholders experiencing symptoms can purchase the kit for self-testing or get themselves tested at government or private testing centres.