"Desperate, anguished and angry." This is how the three students of the University of the Algarve (UAlg) feel trapped in Monza, in Northern Italy, since the measures to contain Covid-19 began weeks ago in that country. With three return flights canceled within a week and a half, students complain about a lack of support from the Consulate.
Miguel Reis, Diogo Cordeiro and Maria Inês Laginha are studying Medical Image and Radiotherapy at UAlg, but since January this year, they have been in Italy, at the University of Milan-Bicocca, under the Erasmus+ program.
What could have been the experience of a lifetime turned out to be a nightmare due to the new coronavirus pandemic.
In mid-February, the Italian university recommended a 15-day quarantine, which the young people complied with. Then, the students started trying to find a solution to return to the Algarve, which, so far, they have not been able to do.
“We started trying to leave about three weeks ago – twice on our own, buying the flights, which ended up being cancelled. Afterwards, we spoke with the Consultar Emergency Office and the Portuguese Communities Office, which gave us the contact details of a travel agency that booked us for another flight, which was also cancelled», tells Miguel Reis to Sul Informação.
In “a week and a half, we have already had three canceled flights, which is distressing”, he adds.
The situation has become more «worrying» since, «about a week ago», the Consulate of Portugal stopped «giving us any answer».
“From the moment the case became more public, the offices started to move. But two days later, when we tried to call back, the numbers weren't working. We tried by email and nothing. The last contact we had was yesterday, but with the Covid-19 helpline, for those abroad, who told us that they would not be able to help – because everything is on the side of the Consulate», explains the young student to our newspaper.
As for the University of Algarve, «it has been in contact with us and has been trying to help». Rector Paulo Águas reported on this to Sul Informação: «I spoke to them on Saturday», he added.
The dean explained to our newspaper that «the University of Algarve, at the end of February, when the risk zones were identified, namely the North of Italy, sent a message to the students. Nothing that was mandatory, but for them to consider the possibility of returning. We also explained that the semester would be adapted, so that they would not be penalized. Two days later, the Erasmus+ program also indicated that students would not have to return the scholarship amount if they did not complete all ECTS at the destination universities».
However, “the decision was always on the side of the students. When the situation became more restrictive, the General Directorate of Higher Education asked us for information about our students abroad”, which was sent promptly.
Initially, according to Paulo Águas, this group of students in Italy did not declare their willingness to return to Portugal. "However, I'm not saying that there is any responsibility on the part of the students, because nobody imagined that we were going to get to this scenario."
According to the rector, «there is not much that the University of the Algarve can do at this stage. The students are anxious, but the case is in the hands of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I have been in contact with the Secretary of State for Higher Education and the General Directorate to raise awareness of the situation. What we've been doing is trying to give some support, talk to the parents. But the process is complex».
Complex is also the situation of another student at the University of the Algarve who is being held in Poland, one of the countries that closed its borders due to Covid-19.
Marleni Azevedo, coordinator of UAlg's International Relations Office, told the Sul Informação that, at this moment, in addition to the Monza case, there is a student “in Poland who asked to return. He has already bought an air ticket that was cancelled, but he is calm».
There were also two other UAlg students, who were in the Czech Republic, who «are in transit and we hope they can land at Lisbon Airport. They managed to fly to Amsterdam and are trying to continue their journey. We have been in contact with these students».
According to Marleni Azevedo, of the 85 students at the University of Algarve who were abroad, in mobility programs, «close to 30 have already returned to Portugal. Others chose to stay and we have students in Italy, Poland and Spain, for example. There are still others who have never responded to the various contacts we have made and we cannot be sure if they came back by their own means».
While there is no solution for the case of the three young people in Monza, Miguel Jesus says that students from Algarve in Italy, who share the same house, have been trying to calm down their family and friends.
“We are always in contact with them. We try to spend the days distracting ourselves, watching movies or series and we only go out to the supermarket», she reports.
«Basically, we are waiting for a solution that, I think, can only be repatriation. We are desperate, anguished and angry», he concludes.
Do you like our work?
So support us!
Your donation will support our reporting and all our journalistic work!
Click here to support us (Paypal)
Or use our IBAN PT50 0018 0003 38929600020 44
Comments