In an official statement, Tamil Nadu health minister Ma Subramaniam has informed that college students aged 18 and above will not be allowed to attend offline classes without being at least partially vaccinated against Covid-19.

The health minister made the decision following a meeting with Chennai Corporation officials and Vice Chancellors of Universities on the safety and prevention measures to be taken in colleges and hostels, days after ten students in Anna University’s Alagappa College of Technology were reported to have tested positive for Covid-19. The minister further mentioned that of the four lakh engineering students in the state, only 46 percent have received their first dose of vaccine so far, while 12 percent of them have been fully vaccinated against the virus.

The health minister was quoted as saying by a news agency, “All students who are above the age of 18 should be vaccinated. The Greater Chennai Corporation will start special camps for students at colleges on Saturdays. There were no more new cases in the cluster, but the threat of infection looms large. We have asked the college administrators to verify this (vaccination status) once again. To avoid overcrowding, colleges must send them to canteens in batches.”