Thirty people have tested positive for the coronavirus at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras in the past two days, IANS reported on Friday.

Till Thursday, 12 people had tested positive for Covid-19 at the institute. On Friday, 18 more were found to be have been infected with the virus, the news agency cited Tamil Nadu health department officials as saying.

State Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan said that those who tested positive have mild symptoms of the disease, The Indian Express reported. “Their oxygen levels are normal, there is no need to panic,” he added. “IIT-Madras has the facility to isolate those infected with the virus. We have begun to do targeted testing on the campus.”

Radhakrishnan said that 365 samples from the campus have been tested for the virus till now and that authorities will decide on further steps based on that.

The official said that students and other persons who stay on the campus have been told to wear masks, to get vaccinated if they have not done so yet and not to share food. He noted that coronavirus cases have been increasing in Delhi, Haryana and Maharashtra.

“The cluster at IIT-Madras in our state is a warning bell,” the health secretary said. “People should continue to follow safety guidelines and not let their guard down.”

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian said that the rise in cases at IIT-Madras would be studied in detail. “The state health department is closely monitoring the situation and will take necessary steps regarding the same,” he said, according to IANS.

About 200 more samples have been sent from the institute for coronavirus testing, and the results are expected by Saturday or Sunday, Mirror Now reported.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government has directed the health department to carry out at least 25,000 Covid tests per day. As of now, about 18,000 samples are being tested on a daily basis.

Tamil Nadu registered 39 coronavirus cases on Thursday and 31 cases on Wednesday. Amid a rise in Covid-19 cases in some other parts of the country, the state on Friday made the wearing of masks mandatory again and stated that violators would be fined Rs 500.