Coronavirus Outbreak: Stranded in Italy, Indian Students Send SOS For Evacuation After Pavia University Official Tested Positive For COVID-19
Stranded in Pavia - Italy's Lombardy region, which has reported 17 coronavirus deaths over the past few days - nearly 85 Indian students have sent an SOS seeking evacuation at the earliest.
New Delhi, March 2: Stranded in Pavia - Italy's Lombardy region, which has reported 17 coronavirus deaths over the past few days - nearly 85 Indian students have sent an SOS seeking evacuation at the earliest. These students of the University of Pavia are unable to return to India as many flights have been cancelled in the wake of new coronavirus (COVID-19) cases being reported in Italy. Of the 85 Indian students, 65 are studying engineering. Coronavirus: Global Death Toll in COVID-19 Outbreak Passes 3000, Over 88,000 Infected Across The World.
The Indian students seek to return to India after a confirmed case of coronavirus emerged at the University of Pavia. A non-teaching faculty member of the engineering department tested positive for coronavirus. Moreover, 15 other staff members have been quarantined. "Half of us had booked tickets to return to India, but flights are getting cancelled every day and new tickets are prohibitively expensive,” Ankita KS, a student at the varsity, told TOI. Coronavirus Outbreak: What Is the Real Size of COVID-19 Epidemic in Iran?
Ankita, who is from Bengaluru and pursuing a degree in international business and entrepreneurship at the University of Pavia, said grocery stores may soon run out of stock and they fear that the situation might get worse. Another student Purushoth Kumar Madhu has booked a flight to India for March 10, but she is unsure whether the flight will operate. She said she is also concerned about Indians being quarantined on arrival.
At least 1049 people have been infected with the coronavirus in Italy, while the overall death toll stands at 29. The Indian government sent two special aircraft to China's Wuhan - the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak - where several Indian students were stranded.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 02, 2020 08:51 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).