Andhra Pradesh: 33 students who returned from Italy finally reach home after a month

Amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent three-week lockdown period, a group of students who had returned from Italy last month finally reached home after being quarantined for weeks at the ITBP facility. The Telegu students returned to Andhra Pradesh after hiring a bus all the way from Delhi down to the southern state. The 33 students had returned to the country after being evacuated by the Indian government from COVID-19 hit Milan by a special Air India Flight on March 15. 

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Hiring a bus from Delhi, the students began their journey down South. One student got down on the way in his home state Chhattisgarh, whereas four alighted in north Andhra. The remaining 28 reached Vijayawada.

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While en-route their bus was halted in Chhattisgarh due to lockdown violation after which the Andhra Pradesh government and Ministry of Home Affairs intervened giving necessary permissions to allow the bus to travel, after which it was released and allowed to proceed further. The students had been tested negative for COVID-19 twice over a period of two weeks. They were asked to stay back for another 2 weeks due to the lockdown announcement. Officials will be conducting another round of tests on them as they returned. 

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Meanwhile, the ITBP facility in Delhi has announced that yoga will be taught to the people in quarantine by special instructors to reduce their stress as they wait for their departure from the facility amidst the ongoing lockdown. Over 150 people are still waiting for their departure in the ITBP facility. 

Coronavirus cases in India have crossed the 10,000 mark, as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. According to the latest update, the number of total cases in the country has climbed to 10,363, while the death toll stands at 339.

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(With Agency Inputs; Image Credits- PTI)