Accept one flight home: Plea by Indian students stuck in Kazakhstan

Doctors around the world are on the frontlines of the efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus. But hundreds of Indian students who aspire to become doctors are stuck at the Almaty International Airport in Kazakhstan due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hoping that the Indian government would rescue them.

Many Indian students pursue Medicine in various universities of Kazakhstan. Soon after the global outbreak of COVID-19, Indian students in country started retuning to the homeland. After the country’s Minister of Healthcare Yelzhan Birtanov confirmed the first positive case of the virus on March 13, fear started gripping citizens of Kazakhstan.

This left the government announcing a state of emergency at least until April 15. Capital Nur-Sultan and the Almaty city were put under complete lockdown. The remaining Indian students rushed to Almaty, with many travelling even 15 hours from their places of stay, The Indian Express reported.

However, as India banned all incoming international flights until March 31, the students are stuck at the airport. Fear among the locals that the virus would spread from foreigners has refrained them from providing accommodation or food supplies to the students. Currently, Kazakhstan has more than 50 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

The students had reportedly visited the Indian Embassy in Kazakhstan, but in vain. Their only request to the Indian government is that while it could arrange special flights for people stranded in Coronavirus-affected countries, it should allow the arrival of at least one flight from Kazakhstan, on which they could return to India.