Noida: Nearly 1,200 stranded students leave for home amid lockdown

Nearly 1,200 students from various colleges and universities across Noida and Greater Noida on Sunday left for their homes on specially-arranged buses amid the COVID-19 lockdown, officials said.

Fifty-one buses were arranged by the Gautam Buddh Nagar administration to send the stranded students back to their homes as per directions from the Uttar Pradesh government, the officials said.

These students were stuck in Noida and Greater Noida due to the nationwide lockdown imposed to contain the spread of coronavirus. Earlier this week, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) allowed the states to ferry migrant labourers, students and tourists back home in buses or special trains.

"A total of 1,184 students left for their homes on Sunday on 51 buses. The students followed the guidelines of COVID-19 prevention and observed social distancing as they got on board the buses to leave for their destinations," an official statement said.

District Magistrate Suhas L Y and nodal officer for COVID-19 response Narendra Bhooshan oversaw the process, for which students had enrolled themselves by filling registration forms online, it said.

"Once they reach home, these students will have to stay in home quarantine for 14 days. The students have been instructed on how to carry out the quarantine at home and told that it was necessary so that the novel coronavirus does not spread, according to the statement.

The students were also provided food packets and water bottles and the buses were sanitised before the passengers got on board, the officials said.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had three days ago issued directives that students who want to return to their homes in the state be prepared.

He had sought a list of students from Noida, Ghaziabad and Aligarh besides those from Delhi. He has asked his officials to establish a communication with the Delhi government to ensure the stranded students return to their homes in UP, according to tweets shared by the chief minister's office on Thursday.

As of Sunday evening, the western Uttar Pradesh district has recorded 167 positive cases of coronavirus, even as the number of patients cured and discharged from hospitals rose to 101, according to official figures. PTI KIS
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