Students from Telugu states stranded in Italy amid coronavirus lockdown

Italy has been one of the worst affected countries by the rapidly spreading coronavirus. As per reports, over 60 million people are currently placed under lockdown as the deadly virus killed over 168 people in a single day. To prevent spreading the virus from Italy to India, the Indian government cancelled all visa requests coming in from the country. However, the Indian students currently in Italy – in particular, those from the Telugu states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana seem to have no respite, with the entirety of Italy in lockdown.

It was earlier reported that a majority of Telugu students were stranded in Milan, Padova, Modena and Rimini – all of which are red zones for the virus. At the University of Padova alone, there are over fifty students from the Telugu states who had enrolled for the courses.

It has been reported that the Indian Embassy Consul General is in touch with the students and advisories have been issued instructing the students for further action. Reportedly, the Indian Embassy and the Italian Government are working together to ensure that the students are kept safe amid the outbreak of coronavirus in Italy. However, with the rising panic in the country, the immediate future of the Indian students remains uncertain.

Back home, health authorities in Andhra Pradesh have advised self-isolation for 75 people who returned from Italy since February 29, 2020. The advisory was issued on Tuesday, in particular for the people who returned from Italy in four batches. The health officials issued a list of precautions for both travelers and members of their families for the care to be taken. Further, the department suggested that the foreign returnees must be in self-isolation for fourteen days and restrict social interactions in large numbers.