Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said 391 students arrived in Guwahati on April 27 after travelling more than 2,000 km by bus from Kota, the coaching hub in Rajasthan.
The Minister and his deputy Pijush Hazarika received the students at the COVID-19 quarantine facility set up within the Sarusajai sports complex on the outskirts of the city after they arrived at 3 a.m.
“After a long journey from Kota, 391 children are back with smiles and cheers. To ensure that they and their families remain safe, we are putting them into 14 days of quarantine,” Mr. Sarma tweeted.
While the boys have been kept at Sarusajai, the girls were sent to three hotels being used as quarantine centres.
‘A great feeling’
“Coming back to my home State is a great feeling. The journey that began on April 23 was taxing but we have no complaints because we were taken care of well,” one of the students said.
The students were undergoing coaching at Kota for competitive exams in medical, engineering and other courses.
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Mr. Sarma said the State government facilitated the return of the students in 17 buses at a cost of ₹7,000 per person.
“Quarantine was made mandatory for them as they had been staying in Rajasthan, categorised a COVID-19 red zone and because of the possibility of contracting the disease en route,” he said.
The students, however, had been in quarantine at Kota.
The swab tests would be conducted on the students on the fifth day of quarantine and doctors would take a call on discharging those who tested negative, Mr. Sarma said.
