Kochi: As the world battles COVID-19 pandemic, around 175 Indians stranded in Malaysia are desperate to return after being denied basic facilities and treatment for COVID-19 despite tested positive.
According to reports, the batch includes 44 keralities, a worrying sign as the state has already reported a total of 37 cases at the time of the writing of this story.
A student, hailing from Idukki district of Kerala, who is currently undergoing post graduation course in Malaysia spoke to ETV Bharat via a video call and claimed that they were admitted to the hospital but did not receive any treatment so far.
"The problem is the medical facilities. I had a fever for over a week but the hospital authorities did not check for COVID-19 symptoms. Besides all grocery shops are running out of supplies," Ziya, a student said.
Further, Ziya alleged that Malaysian citizens are given priority over other citizens during COVID-19 testing. It remains to be seen whether the Indian embassy puts in the effort to bring them back.
Malaysia is currently in a complete lockdown with schools and colleges closed and restrictions imposed on travel in and out of the country. Some of the students are desperate to return and have submitted documents including passports for visa renewal but to no avail. They even claim to have gotten in touch with the Indian embassy but have not received any positive response so far.
Read: COVID-19 LIVE: Number of positive cases in India rise to 223, confirms Health Ministry
The government has banned the entry of passengers from Afghanistan, Philippines and Malaysia to India with immediate effect, according to an additional travel advisory.
Amid the panic over the novel coronavirus pandemic that has put cities after cities under full or partial lockdowns, John Hopkins University's coronavirus resource centre says that over 86,000 infected patients have been recovered to date.
In Hubei, China which is the original epicenter, 58,382 people have recovered so far; in Iran, 5,979 infected people have been recovered and in Italy, 4,440 people are now coronavirus-free. Over 1,540 have been recovered in South Korea; 1,323 have been recovered in Guangdong China and 1,107 have been recovered in Spain.
In India, 20 people have been recovered so far while 13 have been declared coronavirus-free in neighbouring Pakistan, according to the current data. In the US, 121 people have been recovered while in Germany, the number is 115 as of now. In the UK, 65 infected people have been recovered and sent home.
Currently, there are total 246,275 confirmed cases of COVID-19 globally while the death toll has crossed 10,000.
(With inputs from IANS)
