Srinagar: Another batch of Kashmiri students who were halted as a preventive measure for containment of COVID 19 over a month at various locations in the country arrived in Srinagar on Friday, an official said. The students have been airlifted from Rajastan’s Jaisalmer where they were under quarantine since their arrival from Iran on March 14. They were tested and declared negative.

Over 300 students from Kashmir, who were studying in Iran, and were evacuated in the wake of outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic were kept in a quarantine facility at Jaisalmer and Jodhpur of Rajasthan. Most of these students were pursuing MBBS and other courses in Iran, one of the worst hit countries of COVID-19. An official at Srinagar Airport told Kashmir Reader that the students about 52 in number have been sent to their homes after their arrival in Srinagar. “They had arrived here around noon. We sent them to home,” the official added.

The first batch of students have arrived on April 21 and sent to their homes after screening. According to the officials, Friday’s batch of 52 students had completed their mandatory quarantine period in Rajasthan. Their quarantine period had come to an end in first week of April but the lockdown delayed their arrival. Their evacuation was awaiting due to delay in their transpiration, as the entire country is under the lockdown with air traffic suspended and surface traffic shut. Inter-district and interstate connectivity remain banned for routine movement, except for the essential supplies. However more than 150 students are still in Rajasthan at army’s two wellness centres after their completion of quarantine period.

Now, another batch is likely to arrive next week. Their families have been trying hard to get them over to Kashmir. The halted students through social media have been sending messages across to administration for their evacuation. A family member of the student who is still halted at Jaselmier, said their child has been put under quarantine after a student was found to be positive. Now, they again have to wait, the family said, until the period is over. “My sister was okay, tested negative all the times, when she was tested. At the last moment a student was found to be positive, which led her to go under the quarantine once again,” she added.

Junaid Nabi Bazaz