Odisha allows reopening of medical colleges, educational institutes, check guidelines here

Medical colleges and institutions including Nursing, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy and Occupational therapy, Public Health can reopen in Odisha.

New Delhi: The Odisha government on Wednesday (July 28) allowed the reopening of medical colleges and other institutions in view of declining COVID-19 cases. Institutions of teaching including Nursing, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy and Occupational therapy, Public Health and other Paramedical/Allied medical science courses have been permitted to reopen with strict adherence to coronavirus protocols. 

The state government released SOPs to be followed by the colleges and institutions while resuming physical classes. Additional Chief Secretary PK Mohapatra wrote a letter to the DMET, Odisha, and laid down the guidelines. 

Check the guidelines below:

1. The theory classes are to be continued online.

2. The Practical/Clinical classes and examination are allowed in small groups with 50% capacity, to ensure social distancing.

3. The students must submit written permission from their parents or guardians.

4. The Institution shall make provision for screening of the student for COVID symptoms while entering the practical halls / clinical wards.

5. lt will be mandatory for all students to adhere to the COVID appropriate behavior- Use of mask in the campus, hand washing, use of sanitizers, social distancing, avoiding crowded places.

6. (i) Fully Vaccinated and Unvaccinated/ incomplete vaccinated students should be segregated to different batches for clinical and Practical classes.

(ii) The lnstitution should start a vaccination drive for students and college staffs in coordination with the local health authority.

7. lncomplete vaccinated / Unvaccinated students if allowed in the hostel shall be segregated into separate blocks. They will not be allowed to the library. Separate areas must be earmarked in the dining facility for this group.

8. Examination to be conducted for different batches in succession with adherence to the COVID appropriate behavior and use of more examination halls for theory examinations.

9. The college authority will also ensure regular screening of the students in hostels for COVID symptoms and facilities for COVID positives / suspected cases for isolation /Quarantine.

10. No academic/ social /religious/sports activity will be allowed for the students in campus.

11. The administrative blocks /office will remain open on all working days as per the government guidelines.

12. The COVID positive students will not be allowed to sit in the examination but will appear in the next scheduled examinations (Annual/Supplementary). This dropout will not be reflected in the chance certificates to be issued by the college authority subject to the production of the laboratory proof (Rapid Antigen / RT-PCR positive test report) of infection during the examinations dropped.

The decision to reopen these institutions came on the day as 1,703 more people tested positive for the COVID-19 infection, taking the caseload to 9,72,517. With 69 fresh fatalities on Wednesday, the state's coronavirus death toll mounted to 5,703. The daily test positivity rate (TPR) further dropped to 2.16 per cent from 2.59 per cent on Tuesday, PTI reported.