With the government declaring holidays for educational institutions ina bid to prevent the spread of COVID-19, about 600 foreign students studying in Koneru Lakshmaiah University (KLU) at Vaddeswaram village in Guntur district, were kept in isolation.
To prevent the spread of coronavirus, the government had ordered closure of all educational institutions in Andhra Pradesh from March 19. Officials instructed the managements of schools, colleges and universities to close their respective hostels immediately.
KLU International Relations director Dr. M. Kishore Babu said about 600 students from 31 countries were pursuing different courses in the varsity. The university has Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with different institutions across the globe, and a few foreign faculty were in KLU as part of faculty and technology exchange programme.
Preventive measures
University Director (Admissions) J. Srinivas Rao said all the students - who were from abroad and staying in the college hostel - were quarantined and all measures were being taken to prevent the spread of the virus.
“Students from Malaysia, US, Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand and other countries are staying in the KLU campus. As visas are not being issued and international flights too were cancelled to different countries, all the foreign students were quarantined,” said Mr. Srinivas Rao.
Dr. Kishore Babu said regular medical check ups were being done and no new students from abroad entered the campus or into the hostel in the last few days.
