Intan Zulsyawani Zulkifli is looking forward to returning to her hometown in Kota Baru, Kelantan.
KUALA LUMPUR: News that university students will be allowed to return to their homes soon has generated much excitement among those who have been longing to meet their families.
Some, however, have expressed reservations about rushing home as they believe the Covid-19 pandemic was far from resolved.
Catherine Milton, a Universiti Teknologi Mara student who has been holed up in her campus in Shah Alam since the Movement Control Order (MCO) was enforced on March 18, said she had reservations about returning home to Sarawak.
The 22-year-old said her home state was one of the hardest hit by the virus and that it would be foolish to return there for the time being.
She hoped that the 17,000-odd Sarawakian students living in the peninsula would return home only when it was safe to do so.
“I would rather stay put in my dormitory and go back when everything is under control.”
It is a different scenario for Intan Zulsyawani Zulkifli, who can’t wait to return to her hometown in Kota Baru, Kelantan.
The 22-year-old said many of her fellow students in her dormitory went home on March 16, two days before the MCO was enforced.
“I, too, bought tickets to go home on March 18, but decided to stay put as the MCO had started by then.
“I have been living here alone since my roommates and friends left for their hometowns,” said the journalism student, adding that the MCO had taken a toll on her mental health.
Intan Zulsyawani said she was looking forward to returning home to reunite with her family.
Aidil Abd Razak
For Aidil Abd Razak, also 22, the government’s decision to allow university students to return home in stages was much-awaited news.
“Of course, I want to go home. Even though I won’t be able to celebrate the first day of Ramadan with my family, I am looking forward to being with them during the fasting month.”
Aidil said as per the MCO standard operating procedure (SOP), he and his family members would adhere to social distancing in the best interest of everyone.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had, on Tuesday, said the Higher Education Ministry and the Health Ministry were drawing an SOP to allow university students to return to their hometowns in stages.
He said the authorities understood that parents, as well as students, were stressed from staying apart for a long period of time.
“If the students display no symptoms, it’s safe to say that they don’t have the Covid-19 infection.
“There is a chance now to allow them to return home, but we need a stringent SOP to do this,” he was reported to have said.
NEW STRAITS TIMES ONLINE
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