VISAKHAPATNAM: Andhra University students came back from various districts on Saturday to vacate their hostel rooms as the premises will be turned into a quarantine centre. Though all the students left for their hometowns after the lockdown was imposed, they had to return to take their belongings as per the directive of the university authorities.
It may be noted here that all the hostels of Andhra University will be made quarantine centres as per the District Collector’s directive. Though some of the hostels were completely vacated earlier, some students left behind their belongings. As the demand for institutional quarantine increased after more than 5,000 domestic flyers landed in Vizag, officials are arranging more institutional quarantine centres.
The district as of now has only one government institutional quarantine centre and four paid quarantine centres. “We left with whatever was necessary as we were too concerned about going home right before the nationwide lockdown was announced. Most of our belongings like books, mattresses and others were left here.
We didn’t think the virus outbreak would become a pandemic and it would last this long. However, as it is necessary for quarantine centres we did not mind coming and picking up our stuff,” said Divya Sri from Srikakulam of Savitribai Phule Hostel. Speaking to TNIE, AU PRO Narasimha said, “We have to make all the hostels quarantine centres as there is so much demand for government institutional quarantine centres. So we asked students to completely vacate rooms as we don’t think the hostels will be open anytime soon.”