Amid the growing cases of the Covid-19 pandemic on the campus of the Indian Institute of Technology - Madras (IIT-M), a private college in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore district has put 40 students in isolation after they had shown symptoms of fever and cold. They had undergone RT-PCR test and the state health department has asserted that all the precautionary measures are taken and that there is no need to get panicked. 

According to reports, this private college teaches physiotherapy and it had conducted a national conference from April 22 to 24 in which the students from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala had participated in it. IANS has quoted the college sources saying that some of the students had fallen ill after the conference and a section of the college has been converted into the isolation ward and the students who had shown symptoms have been accommodated in the ward. 

The Covid tests were taken for 40 students on Thursday and a further course of action will be decided based on the test results. Speaking to IANS, Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan said, "We have come to know that the students of a Coimbatore college are showing symptoms of fever and cold. The RT-PCR test is done and we are awaiting the results. There is no reason to worry and all necessary precautions have been taken, including maintaining standard Covid protocol." 

On the other hand, the IIT Madras cluster has been reporting more cases. The total case count on the IIT campus has increased to 171 and the institute has asked people to wear masks, observe social distancing,  and take Covid tests if they develop Covid-related symptoms. The health secretary has said that the state government and the IIT-M authorities are trying to prevent the infection from spreading outside the campus.