(Image source from: msn.com)

Several hundreds of people from the Telugu states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have been stranded in Italy as the Mediterranean country has gone into lockdown in order to tackle the sudden surge in the cases of people suffering from the deadly novel COVID-19. the students are said to be in places such as Padova, Rimini, Modena, Milan which have been declared as the red zones for the virus.

Italy has registered 97 deaths on the 9th of March following which the government has posed restrictions specifically in travelling from Tuesday.

Few Telugu students who have been stranded in Italy have spoken to the Times Of India where in they have mentioned that the hospitals have been reluctant in giving the ‘fit’ certificates and that there was no provision for checking the individuals with no symptoms of being affected by the deadly novel coronavirus which is making it difficult for the Telugu people ion Italy to return to their home states of India.

The sources have added saying that the authorities of the Indian embassy have also been insisting on taking into consideration the fit certificates for evacuation of the Indian nationals.

It has been said that nearly 50 students who are Indians are studying at the University of Padova. Padova is said to be a red zone for the virus. It has also been said that around five students belonging to the Telugu states have been stranded at Moderns and the five students are said to be mostly from Vijayawada.

One among the students who have been stranded in the red zones for the virus in Italy, Leela Krishna Chowdary from Ananthapur and who is studying agriculture in Padova has said that because Padova has been quarantined, the Indian students cannot travel to India and he has also said that they are not allowed to move to other cities as well.

A Sree Charan Teja who is a student of the final year of aeronautical engineering at Milanand a native from Hyderabad has said that he had to remain back in Milan as he had a renewal date for a stay permit.

He has also mentioned that around 100 Telugu students are staying at Milan and it would be difficult if all the stores including the grocery stores would be closed during the quarantine period. He added saying that the rules do not allow only ten people and not more than that at a time in supermarkets.

By Shrithika Kushangi