St Xavier’s College has deferred all online semester exams “given the increasing gravity of the pandemic situation” that has led to a scenario where students are struggling “to concentrate on classes and prepare for examinations”.

Father Dominic Savio, the principal of the college, issued a notice announcing the deferment. The exams were to begin from early May.

The notice said: “Given… the number of students being affected directly or indirectly, and the difficulty of many students to concentrate on classes and prepare for examinations, it has been decided to defer all examinations temporarily. The dates for the examinations will be announced keeping in mind the developing situation.”

The revised exam timetables will be published ensuring that the students get at least 15 days’ notice.

Explaining the difficulties the students are encountering, Father Savio said several teachers had tested positive for Covid-19 and online classes could not be held according to schedule, which made it difficult to complete the syllabus on time.

“In many cases, the parents or the family members of the students are down with Covid-19. Students themselves are testing positive. This has created a situation where the students are not being able to concentrate on their studies. They are under a lot of stress and appealed to college authorities for deferring the exams till the situation stabilises,” he said.

According to the exam calendar uploaded on the college’s website, BCom sixth semester exams were supposed to start on May 3, BCom fourth semester exams on May 7, and arts and science sixth semester exams on May 8.

An official of the college said there was widespread apprehension that the situation could be worse in May and they thought “it would be prudent to defer the exams during the month”.

“More cases could mean greater health emergencies at home both for the teachers and the students. This could keep them more preoccupied with health hazards and cause further strain. Asking a student to attend examination in such a scenario would amount to being inhuman,” he said.

Earlier, the college had said its offices would run with 30 per cent staff because of the surge in Covid-19 cases. Support staff members who use public transport had been asked to go to the college only when required.

St Xavier’s University in New Town has postponed the Xavier Law Admission Test (XLAT) that was to be held on April 25. The computer-based tests were to be held in nine cities, including Calcutta.

During the pandemic, it is usually on-campus exams that have been cancelled.

Nicco Park to shut down from Tuesday

The Nicco Park authorities have decided to shut down the amusement park in Salt Lake from Tuesday because of the surge in the number of Covid-19 cases, a park official said. The park will be shut at least till May 7, the official said.

A large part of the park’s workforce, including ushers, ride operators and security personnel, depend on public transport to travel. The park still had some visitors and it did not want to be seen as a spreader, the official said.