A total of 18 Covid-19 cases were detected in the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay at Powai this month. Of these, 11 are students and 7 of them are from one hostel. The Institute authorities have swung into action and proactive measures are being taken for early detection of infection. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) conducted multiple tests on campus on Tuesday and the samples have gone for screening.

All confirmed cases are mild infections and many of them are asymptomatic. A specific floor of hostel 18 has been sealed for now, after infected students were shifted to the institute’s hospital. The total number of cases also include on campus residents who are not students. While there have been Covid cases on campus earlier, in this month, the institute has seen a steep rise in them. The institute recorded three cases in the first week of December, seven in the second week and eight this week. More samples were collected in a BMC drive on Tuesday.