After 52 covid-19 positive cases were reported in Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT), in Udupi, Karnataka, authorities declared the campus a containment zone on Wednesday evening. The cases were reported over the last two days, with 25 cases on Tuesday and 27 cases on Wednesday.

The decision was confirmed by Udupi Deputy Commissioner G Jagadeesha, The News Minute (TnM) reported. As per norms, the areas under the MIT campus have been cordoned off and the movement of students in hostels and others on the campus will now be restricted for a period of 14 days. Reportedly, the testing has been ramped up and a fresh round of Covid-19 tests will be conducted on students on the campus.

District officials have said that the restrictions are currently limited to the MIT campus in Manipal and do not cover other areas of the town.

Narayana Sabhahit, Registrar of the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) told TnM, “The academic area will be excluded but the hostel areas will be a containment zone. Students in the hostel will be asked to restrict their movement. We will continue online classes but laboratory classes are postponed. If there are any examinations in the next two weeks, they will be postponed.”

The college administration has informed teachers and students that all the academic classes will be held online for the next 14 days.

Udupi district officials stated that they are tracking the students and collecting details about the number of Covid-19 cases reported in the MAHE campus. A large number of students studying in colleges under MAHE also stay outside the campus in residential colonies.

Udupi district reported 33 Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, of which 27 were reported in the tests conducted in MAHE. This comes a day after Karnataka reported over 1,000 Covid-19 cases for the first time in three months. The state has reported a rapid spike in cases in the last two weeks and travellers from Maharashtra and Kerala have been mandated to carry negative Covid-19 test certificates.