Lucknow University defers exams as 50 students test Covid positive

The Lucknow University (LU) has deferred the examinations scheduled to take place from Friday after 50 students have tested positive for Covid-19.

Of the 50 students, 32 are from the Habibullah Boys' hostel, 10 from Mahmudabad Boys' hostel and eight from Lal Bahadur Shastri Boys' hostel.

An M.Sc student, residing in the Nivedita Girls' hostel, has also tested positive. She later left the hostel with her guardian.

The remaining students of the hostel also got tested and reports are awaited.

After the outbreak on the campus, Lucknow University Associated College Teachers' Association (LUACTA) also threatened to boycott examinations in view of rise in cases.

LU spokesperson Durgesh Srivastava said: "The university has deferred examination. It will re-schedule all the examinations between January 15 and 31. The next examination schedule will be announced shortly."

Earlier, three students, two from Mahmudabad and one from Habibullah hostel, tested positive after which RT-PCR test of all the inmates was done by the health officials from the CMO office.

While several students left the hostels, those whose examinations were scheduled stayed back.

Meanwhile, students alleged that negligence of the university administration was the reason behind the spurt in Covid cases on the campus.

"We will quarantine all infected students in the hostel itself. They will be given food in disposables while those who want to go home will be permitted to leave if their guardians come to pick them up and their condition is not serious," the LU spokesperson said.

"We can't take the risk of allowing students from Uttarakhand or far-flung places to travel in such conditions. They are not just students but our children too and due care will be taken."

Earlier, the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) had also announced to defer the examination after Covid cases were reported on the campus.