Kashmiri students stuck in Jaisalmer despite completing 28 days quarantine

Srinagar, April 03 (PR): Private Schools’ Association of Jammu and Kashmir (PSAJK) has expressed its concern on the condition of more than 150 Iran returned MBBS students of Kashmir, who despite testing negative twice and completing their 28 days quarantine period are not being brought home.

The Association said that there are around 170 Kashmiri MBBS students and 60 pilgrims, who were evacuated by the government from Iran but as of now they are stuck in a quarantine facility in Army Wellness Centre in Rajasthan. “Number of our students were stuck in Iran and government of India in good faith decided to evacuate them. They tested the students and pilgrims in Iran and then they were brought back,” said G N Var president PSAJK. “From New Delhi they were sent to Army Wellness Centre in Rajasthan to undergo quarantine. The students complied with rules and completed the quarantine period of 14 days twice. The tests were repeated again, which came as negative proving them to be healthy.”

The Association said that only 5 tests have come out positive who have been isolated but unfortunately the healthy ones too are stuck in quarantine in the vicinity of positive patients. “This defeats the purpose of bringing them from Iran if the students can’t get back to their homes,” said Var.

The Association said that authorities are telling them that due to blockade they can’t be allowed to go home, but they are unable to give any alternative. “Everyone knows the situation and increase in number of COVID 19 positive cases with each passing day. In such a scenario it is not wise to keep the students at the facility whose resources could be utilised to help other patients,” said Var. “Transporting them to Kashmir is not such a challenge, it will need just couple of buses and clearance certificates and they will be in their homes within 24 hours.”

The Association said that the students wouldn’t mind remaining there but the authorities are unable to give any time frame to these students as to when they can go home. “No one is telling them when they can leave, so that leaves these students to deal with huge amount of uncertainty. They had already suffered a lot in Iran and now they don’t know when they can go home,” said Var.

The Association called on the LG administration to resolve the issue at the earliest. “Here we are shifting hundreds of persons everyday to their homes after they complete their quarantine period, something has to be done on the same pattern for Kashmiri students stuck in outside quarantine facilities. They are certified negative cases so there shouldn’t be any health concern in it,” said Var. “Nobody knows how long the situations remains as such so it is better they are shifted sooner than later.”