SAVAR, -The authorities of Jahangirnagar University (JU) today reopened its residential halls for the students after 18- month of Covid-19 shutdown. The students of both masters and honour’s programmes except the first-year students, who received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, have started moving into their respective halls after the gates opened at around 8.30 am.

The students were allowed inside the halls after they showed their vaccine certificates and hall ID cards. They were welcomed with flowers, snacks, sanitizer and masks as part of maintaining the Covid-19 health safety guidelines.

Speaking to the occasion, Professor Dr Sohel Ahmed, provost of Shaheed Rafiq-Jabbar Hall, said, ‘After a long closure of 18 months, the university has reopened today. We are very happy to get our students.

We are welcoming them through various arrangements. As per the decision of the university, we are giving permission to the students who have completed one dose of Covid-19 vaccine. Hopefully the students will follow the hygiene rules completely.

“The university administration has already made arrangements to vaccinate the students. I request the students who have not yet been vaccinated to get vaccinated immediately,” he added.

Meanwhile, the university authorities have installed a total of six vaccination booths at the Wazed Miah Science Research Centre to inoculate the students who did not receive any dose of Covid vaccine.

Director of Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research, Meerjady Sabrina Flora inaugurated the 3 day-long vaccination campaign at about 10:00am while JU pro vice chancellor NurulAlam, treasurer Rasheda Akhter, registrar RahimaKaneez, proctor ASM Firoz-ul-Hasan were present, among others. Earlier on October 2, JU authorities decided to reopen residential halls of the university on October 11 at a syndicate meeting. Academic activities of the university will resume from October 21.