Days after the Union Health Ministry advised the States and Union Territories to reopen  medical colleges, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued guidelines to the educational institutes enlisting do’s and don’ts to ensure safety of the staff and students from Covid-19 infection.

It has also asked the colleges administration to take extra care of the anxiety, mental health and psychological issues of students developed during the lockdown period and fear of infection after the opening of the campuses.

The colleges have also been asked to set up helplines for mental health, psychological concerns and well-being of students in their campus which “need to be regularly monitored by Counsellors and other identified faculty.”

As directed by the NMC, the ministry has advised all medical colleges to re-open on or before December 1, 2020 to maintain uniformity in academic sessions.

Sanitisation of premises, thermal screening, ensuring physical distancing, face-cover/mask wearing, respiratory hygiene and hand-hygiene etc, are some of the day-to-day basic Covid-19 preventive measures that the colleges/Universities  have to follow regularly, as per guidelines.

The universities/colleges have been advised to re-open in phase-wise manner with such activities where they can easily adhere to social distancing, use of face masks and other protective measures. This may include administrative offices, research laboratories and libraries etc.

Institutions should have a plan ready for students who cannot join the programme due to travel restrictions. Online teaching-learning arrangements should also be made for them, it said.

Cultural activities, meeting etc. may be avoided. However, such extra-curricular and sports activities may be allowed where physical distancing is feasible and is in accordance with the Union Home Ministry, it said.

All Students must bring all a RT-PCR report that is negative at the time of re-joining the hostels and they must be re-called in batches. “However, the sharing of rooms may not be allowed in hostels. Symptomatic students should not be permitted to stay in the hostels under any circumstances,” said the guidelines.

Also, noting that residential students may be coming from different locations, the guideline document said that “they shall remain in quarantine and self-monitor their health for a period of 14 days before being allowed to attend classes or as per the policy opted by the State Government for quarantine (even if they bring a negative test report or the university/college plan to test them on arrival).”