KOCHI: Kollam native Afzal Najumudeen, a student of Wuhan University, who was stranded at Guangzhou in China amid coronavirus outbreak returned to Kerala on Sunday morning. "I took a flight from Guangzhou at 6 am. I reached the airport six hours prior to the flight, as I expected tight survellience and checking at the airport," he said. Along with Afzal, five students, including a Punjabi student and four Malayali students, also boarded the flight back to India.
"At the airport, the medical team checked our temperature and they asked if we had any symptoms, including fever and cough. Everyone was wearing masks. As we had no symptoms, they allowed us to check- in after four hours," he added. Afzal and other students reached Kolkata at 6.30 am IST.
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At Kolkata airport, they were asked to fill up a form containing questions regarding their health. They were cleared as they didn’t show any symptoms and had normal temperature. "From Kolkata, we took another flight to Bengaluru. But there was no checking in Bengaluru, as we arrived in a domestic flight. I took a bus to my native place, Kollam," he said.
"I called the health department officials who told me to stay at home for 28 days as a precautionary measure. I have been advised not to visit crowded areas and functions. Though my parents are relieved, they are scared to send me back. My friends back there in Wuhan told me they are fine, though the food is limited. The Indian Embassy is taking efforts to bring them back. I hope they will return to India soon," he added.
28 Malayali students still on varsity campus
Now, a total of 63 students, including 28 Malayalis, are inside the Wuhan University campus. The Indian Embassy collected the filled-in consent form from the Indian students for evacuation.