KOCHI: Amid a pandemic, it is reasonable to wish that your loved ones are near and safe. As the world continues to battle Covid-19, several Indian/Malayali students who had left shores to study abroad were in a dilemma. They could either stay back in their respective countries and continue to fight or return to their families. Express spoke to a few students who were caught between the devil and the deep sea.
Lopa Mudra, a student at Middlesex University, London, arrived in Kochi on March 17, exactly a day before the country banned all flights from Europe. Lopa, who is in quarantine now, was a witness to the rapidly ascending number of Covid-19 cases in London. She lived in a small 1BHK with around eight people. “My friends and I would always keep each other in check. I even went ahead and disinfected every doorknob in the house and stuck post-its everywhere around the house so that people were reminded to wash their hands,” said Lopa.
Lopa told Express how she reached the breaking point and made the final call to return. “In the UK, if we had symptoms they asked us to not call 111, which was the emergency number for coronavirus. Instead, no matter how bad your symptoms were, they asked us to stay at home and self-isolate. We couldn’t even get through to a doctor on the phone. On the day the death toll increased from 10 to 21, my friends and I decided that it’s time to leave London. We booked our flights as soon as possible, and at the airport, there was no screening. I boarded my flight and I landed here on March 17,” she explained.
When she reached Kerala, the authorities concerned did a temperature check, gave her extra masks and had her consult a doctor about her symptoms. “I was asked to self-isolate and call the control room if I felt discomfort. I was fine until two days ago when I had difficulty breathing. I called the control room at 3am when I couldn’t sleep and they put me through a doctor. The next day I got a video call from one of the doctors, I told her about my breathlessness and she heard me out. She prescribed medicines and said that they’re always there 24/7,” she said. Lopa concluded by saying that the efficient healthcare system, according to her, was an incentive to return.
However, despite wanting to, several chose to stay back. Rishfath Mohammed, currently enrolled in a two-year programme at the University of Bedfordshire and Coventry, was about to travel to Kerala on March 17 but decided to take a tough call as he hadn’t been tested yet. “My family back home includes aged parents and sisters with newborns. I didn’t want to risk their health,” he said. He spoke for other Malayali students who were stuck there, owing to the same reason. “Also, money is a huge issue; we’ve to keep paying for rent and groceries, all of which are expensive. According to me, the UK didn’t take the matter seriously or issue any lockdown measures -- all to safeguard their economy,” he added.
Joining him is Varsha Kanth, who studies at the MIB Trieste School of Management in Italy, Europe’s epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak. “I stayed back, primarily because the region I live in isn’t as badly affected as the other regions in Italy. Trieste, being a small town, has sufficient necessities and there is no panic buying. Secondly, it will be difficult for me to follow the online classes and participate in group projects given the time difference between the countries. Thirdly, I didn’t want to risk travelling during this time as there is a high chance to get infected and also infect others. Most Indian students stayed back,” she said.