CUSAT suspends offline classes amid rising chickenpox cases

The Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) campus has been shut following a rise in the number of chickenpox cases.

The functioning of all departments of the schools and centres at the Thrikkakara and Marine campuses has been shifted to online mode after cases were reported on the campus. All the infected students have left the campus, said a CUSAT official.

The decision was taken following directions from the health authorities and requests from the heads of various academic departments, according to the official. Classes will continue online till October 16.

Two cases were reported last week in the hostel block of the Thrikkakara campus, with the number of cases surging this week. “We had moved the classes online already, but the health authorities directed that this has to be continued for 7-14 days as per protocol. So we decided to extend the classes online till October 16,” said a CUSAT official.

According to the official, classes from the two campuses were moved online as the majority of the students at these campuses live in the hostel in Thrikkakara.

“There is no cause for alarm as all the precautions have been taken. All the students who were infected were already asked to vacate and go home. We have also postponed some of the scheduled examinations,” said the official.

Kalamassery municipality chairperson Jamal Manakadan said they had given a notice to the university to take suitable measures to prevent the spread of the disease.

“Over 4,000 students study at the campus, and if the disease spreads, it could lead to a large health crisis. We also carried out cleaning on the campus along with spraying and fogging activities,” said Mr. Manakadan.