IIT Madras has shut down its departments, centres, labs and the library citing a spurt in coronavirus cases in hostels, according to an email to students that NDTV has accessed.
Sixty-six students, sources say, have tested positive for Covid this month and 700 more are being tested.
Faculty and students have been asked to work from home.
The premier educational institution, in a statement, said hostels had only 10 per cent of the usual residents and all were tested after a few reported positive.
Students still in hostels are being supplied packed food, said IIT.
"An SoP is in place to determine how many scholars and project staff can work safely in each lab based on its size, ventilation etc. Research scholars who wished to return earlier were permitted to do so if they were willing to stay off campus similar to project staff, till their turn came to be accepted in the hostels, and provided their lab could accommodate them," it said.
Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan said that the students are reported to be in stable condition. "The students have been quarantined and are reported to be in stable condition. There is no need to panic. Such clusters were expected following the lifting of restriction in the state," he said.
COVID-19 numbers in Tamil Nadu and its capital Chennai, which was earlier a hotspot, have drastically come down. On Sunday the state reported 1,195 cases, with Chennai accounting for 340. Though the state's COVID tally is nearing 8 lakh, active cases are at 10,115.
Tamil Nadu To Use AI Alerts To Protect Elephants From Being Hit By Trains "Ignore...": Actor Vijay's Party Junks AIADMK Tie-Up Buzz Before 2026 Election IIT Madras And IIT Palakkad Launch Collaborative Educational Initiative For Science Course Air India Flight From Paris Diverted To Jaipur, Fliers Sent To Delhi On Bus Explained: Why Delhi's AQI Was 494 Today But International Monitor Said 1,600 Ukraine Hits Russia With Long-Range US Missile After Biden's Approval "Exposed": BJP Alleges Bitcoin Scam In Maharashtra Poll, Supriya Sule Reacts What Iraq Plans To Do For The 1st Time Since Saddam Hussein's Rule In 1987 Explained: What Is Thanksgiving And Why It Is Celebrated Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.