The spread of the novel coronavirus in China – now officially named Covid-19 – created panic across the world. Many countries rushed to evacuate their citizens amid the outbreak despite the restrictions imposed by the Chinese government to contain the disease.
Now the families of the Pakistan students stranded in China are protesting that their children should be evacuated. There are 1300 Pakistani students in Hubei province including 800 in Wuhan – the epicentre of the outbreak which has been under a lockdown for weeks. There were reports that four of them had contracted the virus but have now been cured.
The families and the students are furious at the Pakistani government for not evacuating them from Wuhan. A group of officials from the Pakistan Embassy in Beijing met them and claimed that they are in safe hands, while Chinese authorities have said that the students are being treated as their own. Many students in other cities have been able to leave China but those in Wuhan remain stranded.
The students are living in constant fear of catching the virus causing anxiety and psychological stress. They have been confined to their room for weeks, suffer from food shortages, and have to cover their face at all times. The Chinese authorities said that adequate measures have been taken to protect the students from catching the virus. The students are not satisfied and want to know why efforts are not being made to bring them back.
Pakistan has not reported any positive case of the novel coronavirus. The health authorities fear that the arrival of students will increase the risk of spreading the disease which they are unable to cope with. There has been enough knowledge about the virus now, its symptoms and precautions, and the Chinese efforts to contain the virus with better facilities seem to be working.
Many students have blamed the Pakistani government for abandoning them and are reluctant to evacuate them as it might affect relations with China. Some students are too afraid to speak as it would affect their scholarship programmes while others feel betrayed by the government. These concerns must be addressed as the students cannot be kept in such circumstances any longer.
The government should take a decision for the sake of the students and allow them to return home while following quarantine protocols. There should be no hesitation as the government claims it has the ability to diagnose the virus and could take further assistance from China. Pakistani students cannot be left in a foreign country any longer and must be repatriated soon.
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