Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) will continue classes in online mode until October 16 after 12 School of Engineering students were diagnosed with chickenpox and several others developed symptoms. The decision extends the suspension of regular offline classes as a precautionary measure to limit transmission on the Kochi campus.
CUSAT registrar P C Harigovind told the Times of India that students requiring laboratory facilities would continue attending classes physically. The university has therefore retained limited on-campus access for essential academic work while shifting regular teaching online.
Students who developed symptoms have left the campus, and hostel occupancy has fallen below 50%, according to the registrar. The reduction in the number of residents is expected to reduce the likelihood of further transmission within the university’s residential facilities.
The university shifted classes online after cases were identified among students in the School of Engineering last week. Health department officials visited the campus and instructed university authorities to ensure that symptomatic students remained in isolation. A health department official said no new cases had been reported after the affected students returned home.
“Online classes were suggested for one more week to complete the incubation period of the disease,” the official said, according to the report. The extension is intended to cover the period during which additional infections could emerge following exposure.
The decision has also affected the academic calendar. CUSAT departments have postponed internal assessment examinations, while university-level examinations will continue on their prescribed dates. This distinction allows central examinations to proceed while departments adjust assessments linked to regular classroom activity.
The university’s response combines remote teaching, reduced hostel occupancy, isolation of symptomatic students and continued access to laboratories where required. The health department’s direction to monitor isolation and the absence of newly reported cases will inform the university’s next steps as the extended online-class period ends on October 16.
