Disclaimer: This article aims to inform students of the measures being taken on campus to ensure safety during the pandemic. It does not serve as a proclamation of support towards either side of the debate on college’s offline resumption.

Ever since the country-wide vaccination drive began, students and parents have eagerly awaited the news of the commencement of offline classes on campus. That day has finally arrived. The college has decided to call its students back to campus in a phased manner.

Third-year students will be reporting on campus from 5th to 10th October 2021. The fourth-year students had been called back from 20th to 25th September. A few second-year students that are a part of Student Projects are simultaneously returning to campus as well. The college is following a set of protocols for the safety and well-being of students, teachers, and staff members.

Students are required to fill this form to disclose their details of arrival to the Chief Warden Office.

Once students report on campus, they have to arrive at NLH, where professors and staff are present at the desk. The required documents for entry are:
1. The vaccination certificate (at least 1st dose);
2. A negative RT-PCR report, tested at least 72 hours before travel.

NLH Screening Centre [Image credits: Amogh Rao]

At the NLH screening centre, a QR code present for scanning gives access to an MS Form. Students must fill this and upload the necessary documents. Physical copies of the documents are not required. After arrival, students who are staying on campus will be issued a green clearance card on arrival. Those travelling from Maharashtra, Kerala, and abroad must undergo a seven-day compulsory quarantine. Students from other states can move around campus but will not be allowed to go to the Academic Section.

“I’m a member of MANAS and since I’ve travelled from Maharashtra to college, I have to undergo a seven-day quarantine. In the hostel, I was told to call up the mess and inform them that I shall be requiring food to be delivered to the room until my quarantine gets over. Since then, I have been in my room. The room is cleaned every alternate day, and everything is normal apart from the fact that I can’t step out. Talking about the campus, it is very quiet compared to how it was in February, and the weather is better this time around.” said Amogh Rao, a second-year student of Mechanical Engineering. After seven days for students from the aforementioned states and 5 days for the rest, a doctor’s stamp is issued on the green clearance card, granting them safe access to places within the campus. A yellow clearance card is given to those living outside the campus, granting similar access. There is no separate procedure as such for students who are arriving before 5th October.

“Students are not permitted to go outside campus without a valid reason. They will have to take permission from their respective wardens if they want to go outside. The warden will sign a slip that states what time you will be back on campus. I reached campus on 22nd August as I am a member of Parikshit,” recounted Arinjay Sinha, a third-year student of Electronics and Communication Engineering. The second and third-year students who are part of Student Projects get a clearance card with a blue seal, allowing them to access workshops within the campus and outside Gate No. 2.

Students will be occupying the rooms allotted in the hostel portal upon arrival. The hostel staff present is vaccinated. The badminton court and gyms are now chargeable and have timing restrictions of 5:30 to 7:30 am in the morning and 4:30 to 6:30 pm in the evening to avoid crowding. Students vaccinated with the first dose will receive the second one on-campus—whether paid or not will depend on availability.

The administration sincerely requests all students to adhere to the guidelines and be cautious while staying on campus premises. Everyone is filled with the hope of offline commencement of classes and is eager to return to their everyday college life, adapting to this new normal.

Featured image credits: MyCollegeKhoj