Indian Students Enrolled In Italian Universities Stare At Uncertainty; Know Why

New Delhi: Students who rushed back home from Italy to be with ill parents or loved ones at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic’s second wave in India, are now stuck here as air travel to the European nation remains suspended.

Those who were back in India before April 28, when air travel to and from Italy was suspended, are now stranded here despite their peers in Italy going back to their normal lives.

Cyber security student at Rome’s Sapienza University, Zeeshan Ahmed came back to India when his sister got infected with COVID-19. Later, his entire family got infected with coronavirus, including him.

“It was mayhem. In fact, it was a repeat of what I saw in Italy last year that made me scramble even more when I got to know about my sister first. Then, everybody around was infected and news of losing loved ones and family became an everyday thing,” Ahmed was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

“The second wave may have subsided but the nightmare for me is far from over. Italy has gone back to normal but I am stuck here while universities function completely. I also had a part-time job there which I am continuing from here but that will not be an option in few weeks because ultimately work is getting affected due to my absence,” the student added.

Another student studying MSc Computer Science at the same university, Owais R Khan says he returned to India in February when the situation in both places was better.

“Suddenly, all hell broke loose here and a week before my scheduled return, Italy imposed a travel ban which has still not been lifted. The exams are going on at my university both in offline and online mode. We have been reaching out to the Embassy, sending emails to the Ministry to raise the issue with their counterparts in Italy but nothing has worked,” Aligarh-based Khan told the agency.

“It feels like a vicious cycle. Last year, we were stuck in Italy when the families back here were on tenterhooks. A year later, the same series of incidents have happened in India and we are in the same situation again. It’s hard to struggle through these issues while dealing with loss of family members and memories of last rites afresh in mind,” the computer science student added.

For MBBS student Nihal Vikram Singh, who studies at the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, is troubled on several counts besides the travel ban. “As per our residence permit, we cannot stay out of Italy for more than six months. To go through the same processes all over again and secure a permit is going to be troublesome. Also, I am a medical student. Though I am attending my theory classes online, that is far from enough for my course,” Singh was quoted as saying by the agency.

It may be recalled that Italy had allowed Italian residents or Italian citizens with Registry of Resident Italians Abroad, to travel to the country from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka on June 26.

Now with no official update on when the travel ban would end, the Indian Ambassador to Italy had a meeting with community representatives where she briefed them about the efforts on seeking relaxations on July 9.

“Ambassador Dr Neena Malhotra virtually interacted with community representatives and briefed about Mission’s efforts in seeking relaxation for stranded Indians and resumption of flights. Several other community issues were discussed,” the Indian embassy in Italy had tweeted then.

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